AGHIC.  DEPT,. 


PEACH  CULTURE. 


BY 

JAMES  ALEXANDER  FULTON. 

DOVER,  DEL. 


NEW,  REVISED,  AND  GREATLY  ENLARGED  EDITION. 


NEW  YORK  : 

OEANGE  JUDD  COMPANY, 
1912 


V*" 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1889,  by  the 

ORANGE  JUDD  CO., 
|n  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


PRINTED  IN  U.  S.  A, 


TO 
HIS  EXCELLENCY, 

GOVERNOR  GOVE  SAULSBURY, 


MY  ESTEEMED 

FRIEND  AND  NEIGHBOR, 

THIS  LITTLE  VOLUME  IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED 

BY 

THE  ATJTHOB. 


271318 


PREFACE  TO  THE  FIRST  EDITION. 


Within  the  last  few  years,  fruit  culture,  in  all  its  vane» 
ties,  has  greatly  increased  in  this  country ;  so  that,  to-day, 
it  is  one  of  the  leading  interests.  Fruit  growers'  associa- 
tions have  been  formed,  and  many  periodicals  established, 
to  advocate  and  advance  their  interests.  Their  usefulness 
has  been  undoubted,  and  their  success  very  encouraging. 

Amongst  the  fruits,  the  Peach,  if  not  the  most,  is  one 
of  the  most  important  of  all.  It  is  so  easily  raised,  comes 
into  bearing  so  soon,  and  is  so  delicious,  as  well  as  beau- 
tiful, it  is  impossible  that  it  should  not  be  a  favorite. 

The  consequence  is  that,  in  the  sections  specially  con- 
ducive to  its  cultivation,  almost  every  farm  has  an  orchard, 
and  some  farms  are  but  one  continuous  orchard;  and 
sometimes  farm  after  farm  is  devoted  to  peaches.  Within 
the  circle  of  our  own  knowledge,  the  quantity  of  land 
planted  in  peaches,  by  individual  planters,  varies  from 
five  acres  to  six  hundred.  Some  planters  have  set  as 
many  as  twenty  thousand  trees  in  a  single  season.  Or- 
chards of  twenty,  thirty,  and  fifty  acres  are  not  at  all  in- 
frequent. 

Living  in  the  very  center  of  the  peach-growing  district ; 
sharing  the  common  interest  felt  in  the  subject ;  deeply 
impressed  with  its  importance  to  the  individual  planters 
themselves,  and  also  to  the  community  at  large  ;  and  be- 
lieving that  we  could  do  a  lasting  benefit  to  both,  have 
induced  us  to  prepare,  and  now  offer  to  the  public,  the 
following  little  treatise  on  peach  culture. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  NEW 

AND  GREATLY  ENLARGED  EDITION. 


Nearly  two  decades  have  passed  since  this  little  work 
was  first  prepared  to  meet  a  demand  then  felt.  It  was 
received  with  great  favor  by  the  horticulturists  and  plant- 
ers. To  these,  and  the  press  for  the  favorable  and  en- 
couraging notices  so  generously  bestowed,  the  author  is 
very  grateful,  and  wishes  now  to  make  his  acknowledg- 
ments. 

Several  editions  have  since  been  called  for  and  given 
to  the  public.  These  have  been  exhausted  and  a  new 
one  is  now  demanded.  In  obedience  to  this  demand,  the 
present  one  has  been  prepared. 

There  are  still  several  improvements  and  enlargements, 
rendered  necessary  by  the  observation  and  experience  ol 
nearly  twenty  years.  These  relate  mostly  to  new  varie- 
ties, diseases  and  marketing.  While  much  is  yet  to  learn, 
it  is  believed  that  the  present  edition  will  be  found  to  em- 
brace every  essential  feature  now  known  for  the  success- 
ful cultivation  of  this  most  delicious,  highly  prized  fruit, 
And  with  thanks  for  past  confidence  and  generous  en- 
couragement, and  hoping  that  the  edition  will  be  as  cor- 
dially received  as  the  former  ones  have  been,  it  is  now 
submitted  for  the  candid  examination  of  the  reader. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION ......,.., Page    9 

CHAPTER    I. 
SITE  OF  NURSERY 29 

CHAPTER    II. 
SEED 31 

CHAPTER    HI. 
SEED-BED 86 

CHAPTER    IV. 
PREPARATION  OF  GROUND  FOR  NURSERY 87 

CHAPTER   V. 
PLANTING  THE  SEED 40 

CHAPTER   VI. 
NURSERY  CULTIVATION 43 

CHAPTER    VII. 
BUDS .... }'. 44 

CHAPTER    VHI. 
BUDDING 48 

CHAPTER    IX. 
CULTIVATION  OF  BUDS 56 

CHAPTER   X. 
TAKING  UP  AND  SENDING  TO  MARKET ..>_..  , ,»  63 

CHAPTER    XI. 
SELECTING  A  SITE  FOR  AN  ORCHARD 68 

CHAPTER    XH. 
PLANTING  AN  ORCHARD 73 

CHAPTER    XIH. 
ORCHARD  CULTIVATION 78 

7 


8  PEACH  CULTURE. 

CHAPTER    XIV. 


.........................................  ,   .  ........  Page  85 

CHAPTER   XV. 
BASKETS  AHD  CRATBS  .............................................   87 

CHAPTER   XVL 

1'BAIfSPOBTATIOH.  .................................................     92 

CHAPTER   XVIL 
CONSIGNEES  .......................................................    95 

CHAPTER    XVm. 
LADDERS  ..................  ......................  ......  ...........  105 

CHAPTER    XIX. 
SHIPPING  .........................................................  106 

CHAPTER    XX. 
PICKING  ..........................................................  108 

CHAPTER    yyr, 
EETURXS  .........................................................  114 

CHAPTER    XXII. 
MARKETS  .........................................................  117 

CHAPTER   XJLLLL 
PBOFTT  ...........................................................  118 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 
CULTURE  AFTER  A  CROP  ...........................................  120 

CHAPTER    XXV. 
USES  .............................................................  124 

CHAPTER    XXVL 
INSECTS  AND  DISEASES  ............................................  128 

CHAPTER   XXVU. 
SPECIAL  CULTURE.  ................................................  146 

CHAPTER    XXViil. 
THE  PEACH  HOUSE  ................................................  154 

CHAPTER    XXIX. 
VARIETIES  ........................................................  161 

CHAPTER     JcXXr 
DESCRIPTIVE  CATALOGUE  ..........................................  179 

CHAPTER    yx*T, 
FAKCY  VARIETIES  .........................................  «  ......  800 


INTRODUCTION. 

In  some  sections  of  our  country,  Peaches  are  a  staple 
production,  and  predominant  interest,  and  their  cultiva- 
tion is  extending.  In  these  it  is  no  longer  an  experi- 
ment, but  an  established,  understood,  and  successful 
business;  and,  like  other  established  interests,  is  prose- 
cuted with  skill,  economy,  and  profit. 

But  not  so  everywhere.  New  districts  are  opening  up; 
new  men  are  engaging  in  the  business;  thousands  of  acres 
are  devoted  to  peach  orchards  where  none  were  known 
before.  The  area  of  the  Peach  is  not  only  widening,  but 
is  transferring  itself  to  new  fields.  But  the  skill  neces- 
sary to  success  does  not  always  accompany  new  enter- 
prises. Amateurs,  fortune-seekers,  and  novices  of  all 
kinds,  impelled  by  the  love  of  Nature,  in  one  of  her  most 
beautiful  forms,  or  the  hope  of  fortunes  rapidly  gained, 
become  planters.  The  end — covering  our  beautiful  hills, 
and  vales,  and  plains,  with  rich,  luscious  fruits — is  a  noble 
and  laudable  aim.  Every  one  should  rejoice  at  it ;  every 
one  should  encourage  and  aid  it.  It  is  a  public  benefac- 
tion. It  should  enlist  our  patriotism  and  benevolence. 

But  the  uninstructed  must,  necessarily,  err.  Art  is  not 
the  result  of  instinct,  but  the  product  of  education.  The 
unskilled  must  be  taught  ;  those  who  do  not  know  how, 
must  learn.  Peach  growing  must  be  learned  as  well  as 
other  things ;  and,  although  the  interest  is  already  im- 
mense, and  still  increasing,  yet  no  practical  treatise  on 
this  subject  has  been  published.  Planters  who  have  not 
had  personal  experience,  have  been  left  to  grope  in  the 
dark — to  try,  fail,  and  try  again.  This,  in  many  cases, 
has  been  expensive  ;  in  some,  ruinous  ;  in  all,  vexatious. 
To  avoid  this,  and  to  make  clear^  what,  to  some,  at  least, 


'16  PEACH    CULTURE. 

may  be  obscure,  these  pages  have  been  prepared.  They 
have  been  written  with  that  view,  and  for  that  purpose, 
and  are  very  minute  in  details,  and  severely  practical  in 
description. 

In  this  introductory  chapter,  we  propose  to  speak  of 
matters  of  a  more  general  nature ;  not,  indeed,  essential 
to  success  in  business,  but,  nevertheless,  interesting,  and 
useful  to  the  intelligent  and  cultivated  planter. 

Most  of  our  large  peach  growers  are  gentlemen  of 
wealth,  refinement,  and  leisure ;  many  of  great  social,  and 
some  of  high  official,  position.  They  have  engaged  in 
this  honorable  and  delightful  pursuit  not  only  as  a  means 
of  increasing  their  revenues,  but  also  of  gratifying  their 
rural  tastes.  In  the  early  spring,  the  soft  and  delicate 
tints  of  the  peach  blossoms  gladden  the  eye,  while  the 
air  becomes  fragrant  with  their  delightful  perfume.  In 
the  high  noon  of  summer,  Beauty  crowns  herself  with 
Plenty,  and  dispenses  health,  wealth,  and  happiness,  in 
her  flowery  way.  Thus,  flowers  and  fruit,  beauty  and 
use,  are  delightfully  blended,  and  the  peach  plantations 
become  at  once  a  source  of  present  gratitude  and  future 
hope  to  their  owners. 

Such  planters  will  be  expected,  and  should  be  able,  not 
only  to  tell  how  peaches  are  grown,  and  where  they  are 
sold,  but  also  to  speak  of  their  origin  and  history,  the 
countries  in  which  they  flourish,  and  the  latitudes  that 
limit  their  production. 

In  the  brief  space  of  an  introduction,  we  can  only  give 
an  outline  of  the  subject,  which  we  hope  will  be  useful, 
not  so  much  for  what  it  imparts,  as  for  stimulating  a  de- 
sire to  know  more.  To  trace  the  history  of  the  peach, 
from  its  origin  to  the  present  day,  would  be  a  very  inter- 
esting and  pleasing  task,  and  we  cordially  commend  it 
to  the  many  intelligent  and  public  spirited  planters  on  the 
Delaware  Peninsula,  who  have  both  the  leisure  and  abili- 
ty to  perform  it  in  a  manner  worthy  of  the  subject. 


INTRODUCTION.  1 1 

The  botanical  name  of  the  peach  is  best  known  as 
Amygdalus  Persica,  though  the  late  authorities  unite 
the  Peach,  Apricot,  Plum,  and  Cherry,  all  in  one  genus, 
under  Prunus.  For  the  purposes  of  the  present  work, 
we  retain  the  older  name,  Amygdalus,  which  is  a  genus 
of  the  Natural  Order  Rosacece,  and  under  the  Linnean 
classification,  is  placed  in  the  class  and  order  Icosandria 
Monogynia.  The  genus  consists  of  trees  or  shrubs,  witli 
simple  leaves.  Calyx  with  a  bell-shaped  tube,  and  five 
spreading  lobes,  deciduous.  Petals  five,  inserted  at  the 
throat  of  the  calyx  tube.  Stamens  numerous,  with  slen- 
der filaments.  Pistil  solitary,  with  a  single  style.  Fruit 
a  fleshy  drupe,  usually  velvety,  with  a  bony  putamen,  or 
stone,  much  roughened  with  wrinkles  and  holes  or 
grooves  ;*  the  kernel,  or  seed,  proper,  having  the  flavor 
of  prussic  acid.  There  are  ten  species  of  the  genus,  the 
most  important  of  which  are 

Amygdalus  Persica. — The  Peach.  Drupe  fleshy,  and 
indehiscent.  Introduced  from  Persia,  but  unknown  in 
the  wild  state,  and  is  supposed  to  have  originated  from 
the  Almond.  The  flesh  in  some  varieties  readily  separates 
from  the  stone  (fioe  stones),  and  in  others  it  adheres  with 
more  or  less  firmness  (clings).  A  smooth  variety,  var. 
Isevis,  is  the  Nectarine ;  a  double-flowering  one  is  culti- 
vated for  ornament,  and  a  variety,  with  the  fruit  curi- 
ously compressed,  is  the  Flat  Peach,  of  China. 

A.  cominunis. — Almond.  The  drupe  dry,  and  ir- 
regularly dehiscent  (as  it  is  in  all  the  following  species)  ; 
leaves  oblong,  lanceolate ;  calyx  bell-shaped.  Tree  twenty 
or  more  feet  high.  Native  of  Mauritinia,  and  the  moun- 
tainous parts  of  Asia.  There  are  numerous  varieties,  with 
sweet  and  bitter  kernels. 


*  The  name  Amygdalus  has  reference  to  this  character  of  the  stone,  it  being 
derived  from  the  Greek  word  to  lacerate* 


12  PEACH    CULTURE. 

A.  nan  a, — Dwarf  Almond.  Leaves  oblong-linear, 
tapered  at  the  base ;  calyx  cylindrically  bell-shaped ; 
fruit,  as  in  A.  communis,  but  smaller  ;  a  low  shrub.  A 
native  of  Northern  Asia,  sometimes  cultivated  in  gardens 
for  its  double  and  white  flowered  varieties. 

A.  orientalis — Leaves  lanceolate,  nearly  entire,  and 
with  the  small  branches  silvery-downy.  A  large  shrub  ; 
a  native  of  the  Levant. 

A.  CochinchinensiS. — Leaves,  ovate,  entire,  shiny; 
flowers,  white.  A  large  tree  ;  a  native  of  Cochin  China. 

Of  the  first  species,  the  Peach  of  the  English;  the 
Peche  of  the  French;  the  Pesca  of  the  Italians;  the 
Persigo  of  the  Spaniards ;  the  Peftfcgo  of  the  Portuguese, 
and  the  Pfirsich  of  the  Germans,  there  are  generally  reck- 
oned two  varieties — the  Peach  proper,  with  downy  fruit, 
and  the  Nectarine,  with  smooth  fruit.  There  is  abundant 
evidence  that  the  latter  is  a  mere  accidental  production 
of  the  former.  The  general  characteristics  are  identical, 
while  the  difference  is  but  slight,  and  consists  principally 
in  the  presence  or  absence  of  the  pubescence  on  the  skin. 
The  Nectarine,  both  in  tree  and  fruit,  is  not  so  vigorous, 
hardy,  or  durable  as  the  peach ;  it  is  more  easily  affected 
by  disease,  and  the  attacks  of  insects ;  sheds  its  fruit  more 
easily,  and  oftener  fails  to  produce  a  crop. 

The  PEACH  is  a  tree  of  medium  size,  with  a  spreading 
head ;  long,  narrow,  lanceolate,  and  serrate  leaves,  which 
are  of  a  deep  green  color,  until  late  in  the  fall,  when 
they  assume  a  brown  or  yellow  tinge ;  flowers,  pink  and 
rose-colored,  profuse,  and  fragrant;  fruit,  rich,  juicy,  vinous 
and  melting,  when  highly  cultivated,  but  often  small, 
hard,  and  bitter,  when  neglected.  For  size,  quality, 
productiveness,  and  value,  it  may  be  regarded  as  the 
queen  of  stone  fruits. 

The  size  of  the  tree  varies  very  much,  owing  to  the  dif- 
ference in  soil,  climate,  and  cultivation.  In  the  cold  re- 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

gions  of  the  Xorth,  it  seldom  attains  a  diameter  of  more 
than  five  or  six  inches,  and  a  height  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
feet,  while  in  the  generous  soil  and  genial  clime  of  the 
South,  it  frequently  grows  to  the  height  of  thirty  feet,  or 
even  more,  and  swells  to  a  diameter  of  eighteen  or  twenty 
inches.  We  have  ourselves  seen  them  of  fully  this  latter 
size  in  Arkansas  and  Texas ;  and  in  August,  1869,  some 
old  trees  were  measured  on  the  Delaware  Bay  and  found 
to  have  a  girth  of  nearly  six  feet. 

The  tree  is  supposed  to  be  short-lived,  and,  except  in 
a  genial  soil,  may  be  so  regarded.  But  even  in  latitude 
41°  North,  it  has  attained  its  three-score  years,  vigorous 
in  old  age,  and  still  producing  respectable  crops  of  good 
fruit.  Such  instances,  however,  are  rare.  Farther  South, 
it  lives  much  longer ;  and  on  the  Peninsula,  and  in  East- 
ern Virginia,  there  are  still  standing  many  flourishing 
trees,  which  were  planted  more  than  seventy  years  ago ; 
and  if  they  receive  the  attention  they  should,  it  is  be- 
lieved they  will  live  to  be  a  hundred  years  old.  In 
France,  there  are  several  well  attested  cases  of  trees  being 
in  good  condition  when  over  ninety  years  old.  It  has 
been  noted  in  these  cases  that  the  trees  all  become  hollow, 
while  the  shell  retains  its  thrift  and  vigor.  It  is  also  to 
be  remarked  that,  in  none  of  these  instances  does  the  size 
ever  approach  that  attained  in  our  own  land  ;  the  largest, 
BO  far  as  we  have  observed,  not  exceeding  one  foot  in 
diameter.  Eight  of  these  venerable  old  trees  may  still  be 
seen  by  a  terrace  wall,  at  the  Chateau,  de  Villiers,  near 
Ferte-Aleps.  They  still  produce  abundantly;  and  the 
gardener  affirms  that,  thirty  years  ago,  when  he  took 
charge  of  the  grounds,  they  were  as  large  as  now.  Their 
productiveness  he  attributes  to  careful  pruning.  But 
what  gardener  ever  doubted  but  that  success  was  at- 
tributable to  his  skill ! 

In  the  transactions  of  the  Horticultural  Society  of 
France,  published  a  few  years  since,  an  account  of  an- 


14  PEACH    CULTURE. 

other  remarkable  tree  was  given.  It  was  found  in  the 
grounds  of  Monsieur  Jubert,  near  Yilleneuve,  and  was 
trained  on  one  of  the  wings  of  his  mansion,  which  it 
nearly  covered.  It  was  known,  certainly,  to  be  over 
ninety -three  years  old,  and  believed  to  be  more  than  one 
hundred.  It  was  still  in  good  health  and  vigor,  and  pro- 
duced good  crops  regularly.  It  was  carefully  pruned 
every  year.  With  this  exception,  it  received  no  special 
attention.  Notwithstanding  its  great  age,  it  had  only  at- 
tained a  diameter  of  ten  inches  a  short  distance  above  the 
ground — not  half  so  great  as  some  of  our  trees  in  Dela- 
ware, not  half  so  old. 

The  peach  is  propagated  by  seed,  by  grafting,  and  by  bud- 
ding. Propagation  from  fruit  or  seed  is  the  natural  way,  and 
the  only  source  of  new  varieties.  Trees  produced  from  seed 
are  more  vigorous,  freer  from  disease,  hardier,  more  certain 
bearers,  and  live  longer  than  when  produced  by  inoccula- 
tion;  but  as  the  character  of  the  fruit  is  uncertain,  and  the 
quality  generally  inferior,  this  method  has  been  altogether 
discarded,  except  when  new  varieties  are  sought.  Although 
the  peach  may  be  grafted  with  success,  yet  it  is  so  tedious 
and  unsatisfactory,  when  compared  with  budding,  that  it 
has  been  totally  abandoned  for  the  latter,  which  now  re- 
mains the  only  means  in  use  for  propagating  the  peach. 

The  Peach  is  supposed  to  be  a  native  of  Persia,  and  its 
botanical  name  refers  to  that  origin.  It  is  known  to  have 
flourished  in  both  Persia  and  China  at  a  very  early  period, 
and  was  highly  valued  in  both  countries.  It  has  often  been 
found  growing  spontaneously  in  Asiatic  Turkey.  It  is  men- 
tioned by  Pliny,  and  several  other  classical  writers,  and 
many  anecdotes  are  related  of  the  veneration  and  even 
superstition  with  which  it  was  regarded  by  the  Asiatics. 
There  is  no  doubt  but  it  was  one  of  the  "  Trees  of 
the  Garden"  which  God  planted  in  Eden,  and  which 
were  to  nourish  and  cheer  our  first  parents  in  their 
pristine  purity  and  happiness.  It  is  not  mentioned  in 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

the  Bible,  but  its  congener,  the  almond,  is  mentioned  sev- 
eral times,  and  as  early  as  the  days  of  Jacob.  And 
we  find,  when  he  was  preparing  his  present  for  the 
Governor  of  Egypt,  he  commanded  his  sons  to  take 
"  myrrh,  nuts,  and  almonds "  as  a  gift,  showing  the 
esteem  in  which  it  was  then  held.  Again,  in  the  di- 
rections for  making  the  golden  candlestick,  among  the 
ornaments,  the  myrtle  and  almond  are  mentioned  as  of 
the  chief. 

The  Peach,  like  civilization  itself,  traveled  from  this 
centre  Westward  into  Europe,  and  we  find  it  mentioned 
in  Roman  history  in  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Claudius. 
It  was  highly  valued  by  the  patricians  of  Rome,  and  was 
cultivated  by  them  as  one  of  their  choicest  luxuries.  It 
is  still  a  standard  tree  in  Italy. 

It  was  introduced  into  England  from  Italy,  about  the 
middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  has  been  cultivated 
there  as  an  exotic  ever  since.  Her  cool,  moist  climate, 
however,  prevents  its  general  cultivation,  'and  it  is  only 
grown  on  walls  or  under  glass,  and  the  fruit  is  seldom 
seen  except  on  the  tables  of  the  aristocracy. 

Even  in  France,  where  the  climate  is  much  milder,  it  is 
not  always  reared  without  protection,  and  the  fruit  has 
never  gone  into  general  use,  but  is  a  delicacy  confined  to 
the  wealthy  alone,  the  cultivation  being  limited  princi- 
pally to  gardens. 

In  China  it  is  extensively  cultivated  in  the  gardens  of 
the  rich,  and  has  attained  an  extraordinary  size.  But  of 
their  manner  of  propagation  and  culture  but  little  is  yet 
known,  owing  to  the  exclusive  policy  heretofore  pursued 
by  that  ancient  Empire.  Now,  since  its  amelioration, 
among  the  many  other  benefits  hoped  for,  a  more  accu- 
rate and  complete  knowledge  of  the  peach  is  one.  The 
Chinese  are  great  gardeners,  and  much  affect  the  curious 
in  horticultural  as  in  other  arts,  and  we  may  expect  to 
learn  much  that  is  interesting,  if  not  useful.  We  know 


16  PEACH    CULTURE. 

already  that  they  produce  peaches  of  very  large  size,  and 
two,  at  least,  of  rare  shape, — the  Chinese  Flat,  and  Crooked 
Peach.  With  this  beginning,  we  will  not  be  surprised  at 
still  more  curious  developments.  The  curiosity,  ingenuity, 
and  enterprise  of  our  countrymen  will  soon  discover 
whatever  may  be  known. 

It  is  to  our  credit  that  the  United  States  is  the  only 
country  in  the  world  that,  either  in  ancient  or  modern 
times,  has  produced  peaches  in  sufficient  quantities  to  al- 
low them  to  become  a  common  marketable  commodity ; 
so  cheap  that  the  poor,  as  well  as  the  rich,  may  regale 
themselves  and  their  families  with  one  of  the  most  whole- 
some and  delicious  of  fruits  at  a  very  small  expense,  and 
with  every  prospect  that  they  will  still  be  more  abund- 
ant and  cheap.  While  these  pages  are  being  written, 
peaches  are  selling  in  the  New  York  market  for  thirty- 
five  and  seventy-five  cents  a  basket ;  and  the  receipts 
vary  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  bas- 
kets per  day. 

While  the  Peach  can  be  successfully  cultivated  in  the 
United  States,  out-of-doors,  anywhere  south  of  42°  North 
latitude,  and  under  an  altitude  of  nine  thousand  feet,  yet 
it  is  not  a  sure  crop  north  of  40°.  But  south  of  this,  even 
to  Florida  and  Texas,  it  flourishes  with  the  greatest  luxu- 
riance. Still  there  are  some  localities  and  sections  that, 
owing  to  their  peculiar  topography  and  soil,  are  much 
better  suited  to  this  fruit  than  others.  First  amongst 
these  stands  the  Delaware  Peninsula,  embracing  the  State 
of  Delaware,  and  the  eastern  shore  of  Maryland  and  Vir- 
ginia, a  territory  of  about  six  thousand  square  miles. 
Within,  these  limits  it  is  believed  more  peaches  are  pro- 
duced than  in  any  other  of  the  same  extent  anywhere. 
The  centre  of  this  peach-producing  region  is  Kent  County, 
Delaware,  which  produces  more  peaches,  and  of  better 
quality,  than  any  other  territory  of  the  same  size  in  the 
World. 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

With  an  area  of  six  hundred  square  miles,  or  three 
hundred  and  eighty-four  thousand  acres,  she  will  send  to 
market  the  present  season,  1869,  about  one  million 
baskets.  Six  years  later  she  more  than  doubled  this. 
The  estimate  made  for  her  by  the  Peninsula  Fruit 
Growers'  Association)  on  the  18th  of  May,  1869,  was  six 
hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  baskets  ;  but  now, 
August  12th,  in  the  midst  of  the  picking  season,  it  is 
manifest  that  that  estimate  is  much  too  low.  It  is  here 
the  largest  orchards,  as  well  as  the  finest  fruit,  are  found. 
One  planter,  within  a  short  distance  of  Dover,  has  six 
hundred  acres  of  peach  orchard.  Many  others  have  from 
ten  to  twenty  thousand  trees,  and  often  ship  from  ten  to 
fifteen  hundred  baskets  a  day. 

In  New  Castle  County,  adjoining,  there  are  some  very 
fine  orchards,  and  great  and  special  care  is  taken  in  their 
cultivation.  Fine,  erect  trees,  head  rows  nicely  trimmed, 
and  a  smooth,  clean  surface,  attest  the  taste  and  care  of 
their  proprietors.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  look  at  them.  But 
the  soil  is  a  little  too  heavy,  and  the  climate  a  shade  colder 
than  in  Kent ;  and,  consequently,  the  peaches  do  not  come 
in  so  early,  crops  oftener  miss,  and  the  cultivation  is  not 
quite  so  much  a  success.  The  three  great  shipping  points 
of  this  county  are  Odessa,  Middletown,  and  Townsend, 
from  all  of  which  large  quantities  of  beautiful  and  delL 
cious  fruit  are  shipped. 

In  Sussex  County,  just  south  of  Kent,  the  extensive 
cultivation  of  the  peach  is  but  of  recent  /late.  The  soil 
is  lighter,  which  will  tend  to  advance  the  maturity  of  the 
fruit  as  well  as  the  tree,  and  thus  enable  planters  to  put 
their  peaches  into  market  several  days  earlier  than  in 
Kent  and  New  Castle,  which  is  a  considerable  advantage. 
Several  new  railroads  have  been  completed  within  her 
borders  during  the  present  year,  which  will  afford  her 
greater  facilities  to  get  to  market,  and  stimulate  still  fur- 
ther this  great  and  greatly  increasing  interest. 


18  PEACH  CULTURE. 

The  prospects  now  are  that,  in  a  few  years,  Sussex  County 
will  rival  Kent  in  the  extent  and  value  of  her  peach  crop. 

The  Maryland  counties  lying  contiguous  are  also  in- 
creasing their  peach  area;  and,  in  consequence  of  the 
completion  of  several  branch  railroads,  peach  growing 
will  receive  a  strong  impetus.  Their  soil  and  climate  an 
in  all  respects  well  adapted  to  the  production  of  this  de- 
licious fruit. 

The  two  Virginia  counties  on  the  eastern  shore  possess 
equal  natural  advantages,  but  the  want  of  railroad  facili- 
ties has  heretofore  prevented  them  from  availing  them- 
selves of  such  to  the  same  extent  as  their  neighbors. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  Delaware  Peninsula 
alone  has  capacity  to  produce  peaches  enough  to  supply 
the  whole  of  the  "United  States. 

The  crop  of  the  Peninsula  for  1869  has  been  estimated 
as  high  as  four  million  baskets,  but  we  think  this  too  high. 
It  has  certainly  been  three  millions,  or  more  ;  perhaps 
three  and  a  half.  This  estimate  is  made  principally  from 
actual  statistics.  The  railroad  carried  2,115,500 ;  the 
steamers,  from  Mahon,  about  SCO,  000  ;  from  other  points, 
probably  800,000  ;  in  all,  3,215,500. 

It  is  now,  1889,  estimated  that  with  a  full  crop  we 
have  a  tree-capacity  to  produce  10,000,000  baskets. 

New  Jersey  was  the  first  to  engage  in  peach  culture  ex- 
tensively, and  for  export ;  and,  for  many  years,  took  the 
lead.  But,  more  recently,  she  has  nearly  abandoned  the 
business,  except  in  a  few  localities.  Several  causes  have 
contributed  to  this  result.  One  of  these  has  been  the 
prevalence  of  the  Yellows,  which  has  ravaged  her  beauti- 
ful orchards  with  remorseless  fury.  This  fatal  disease 
seems  not  only  to  be  epidemic  there,  but  localized,  and 
chronic.  Young  orchards  are  attacked  almost  as  soon  as 
they  come  into  bearing,  and  are  generally  worthless  after 
the  second  crop. 

Another  is,  that  the  cultivation  of  small  fruits,  such  as 
strawberries,  raspberries,  and  blackberries,  has  been  found 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

much  more  profitable,  as  well  as  the  returns  quicker,  and 
thousands  of  acres  have  been  given  to  them. 

Still  another  is,  that  the  richer  soil,  milder  climate, 
earlier  maturity,  and  finer  fruit  of  the  Peninsula,  have 
rendered  competition  useless  in  this  branch  of  agricult- 
ure. The  result  is  that  she  has  wisely  abandoned  peach 
culture,  as  a  leading  interest,  and  devoted  herself  dili- 
gently to  berries,  in  which  she  has  been  eminently  suc- 
cessful. Her  crop  of  peaches  now,  even  in  a  good  season, 
does  not  exceed  two  hundred  thousand  baskets.  It  is 
sold  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia.  Since  the  first 
edition  was  published,  peach  culture  in  New  Jersey  has 
been  much  more  successful  than  it  was  then ;  the  crop 
for  1887  was  estimated  in  May  at  1,000,000  baskets. 

Ohio  ranks  high  as  a  peach  growing  State.  Along 
the  lake  shore,  on  the  sand-stone  hills  of  the  Ohio 
river,  and  on  the  uplands  of  the  Miami  valley,  large 
quantities  of  peaches  are  raised.  Thin  land,  and  high 
ridges,  suit  best.  The  orchards  are  generally  small, — not 
exceeding  two  thousand  trees,  and  seldom  half  so  many. 
The  trees  commence  bearing,  if  the  season  be  favorable,  the 
third  year,  and  average  two  or  three  crops.  The  average 
production  is  about  half  a  bushel  to  a  tree.  The  fruitful 
seasons  are  generally  five  or  six  in  a  period  of  ten  years. 
Much  of  the  fruit  is  shipped  to  Cincinnati,  Cleveland, 
and  other  points.  It  is  usually  sent  in  bushel  boxes.  The 
price  varies  very  much,  as  it  does  everywhere.  Fifty 
cents  to  four  dollars  per  bushel  may  be. set  down  as  the 
extremes,  and  the  net  returns  to  the  planter  from  naught 
to  two  dollars — the  earliest  and  latest  varieties  being  the 
most  profitable.  The  crop  of  1867  was  very  large,  and 
was  returned  by  the  assessors  of  internal  revenue  for  that 
year  at  an  aggregate  of  1,450,000  bushels.  Our  private 
information  leads  us  to  believe  this  an  overestimate.  In 
1869  it  is  set  down  at  599,499  bushels.  There  is  no  doubt 
it  may  be  greatly  increased;  but  were  it  double 


80  PEACH  CULWRE. 

it  is,  it  could  all  be  consumed  within  the  limits  of 
the  State  and  a  few  neighboring  cities.  In  addition  to 
the  borer  and  yellows,  the  planter  has  to  contend  with 
the  curculio,  which  is  much  more  injurious  and  trouble- 
some. 

In  no  part  of  the  world,  perhaps,  is  the  ameliorating 
influence  of  large  bodies  of  water  on  temperature  more 
distinctly  marked  than  in  Michigan.  This  State,  with  the 
exception  of  a  narrow  strip  on  her  southern  border,  not 
exceeding  twenty  miles  wide,  lies  north  of  forty-two 
north  latitude.  The  northern  limits  of  Ohio  and  Indiana 
bound  her  on  the  south.  She  is  north  of  Omaha,  Des 
Moiues,  Toledo,  Cleveland,  Pittsburg,  Philadelphia,  and 
New  York;  and  a  parallel  line,  extended  from  her  center, 
eastward,  would  cut  through  Canada,  New  York,  Ver- 
mont, New  Hampshire,  Maine,  and  Nova  Scotia;  and 
westward,  through  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  Dakota,  Idaho, 
and  Oregon.  Yet,  notwithstanding  all  this,  she  stands  in 
the  front  rank  of  fruit  growing  States,  and  competes  with 
Ohio  and  California  in  the  production  of  peaches!  Her 
success  in  the  cultivation  of  this  fruit  is  wonderful,  and, 
it  is  believed,  altogether  unprecedented  in  the  same  high 
latitude.  But  a  satisfactory  explanation  is  found  in  her 
happy  geographical  position,  which  is  as  unique  as  her 
productions  are  remarkable.  She  is  almost  surrounded 
by  water  !  The  great  lake  whose  name  she  bears  covers 
her  on  the  west  and  north-west  as  with  a  blanket,  and 
softens  the  dry  piercing  winds  of  those  regions  until  they 
become  moist  and  almost  balmy.  Lake  Huron  performs 
the  same  kind  office  for  her  on  the  north  and  north-east; 
while  Erie  supplements  the  good  work  on  the  south-east. 
These  lakes  are  immense  bodies  of  water,  hundreds  of 
miles  long,  and  about  a  hundred  wide,  and  from  a  hundred 
and  fifty  to  a  thousand  feet  deep,  and  the  climatic  influ- 
ence they  exert  is  wonderful  and  highly  beneficial.  Hence 
it  is  that  Michigan,  lying  between  42°  and  45°,  ranks 


INTRODUCTION.  2i 

high  as  a  fruit  producing  State,  and  can  successfully 
compete  with  Ohio  and  California  in  the  production  of 
peaches. 

Her  last  crop  was  reported  at  seven  hundred  and  fifty- 
one  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty-eight  baskets, 
valued  at  seventy-five  cents  a  basket,  or  five  hundred 
and  sixty-three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty-two 
dollars,  in  the  aggregate. 

The  sandy  lands  of  the  western  shore  are  found  to  be 
best  for  peach  culture;  and  both  land  and  water  here 
combine  to  produce,  in  great  excellence,  this  delicious 
fruit.  The  close  proximity  of  Chicago  and  Milwaukee 
affords  a  good  and  convenient  market  for  the  planters  in 
the  west;  and  Detroit,  Toledo,  and  Cleveland  for  those 
in  the  east. 

In  Southern  Illinois  the  Peach  does  very  well.  In  the 
north  it  is  too  cold.  Thin  soils,  hills,  ridges,  and  light 
prairies  do  best,  as  the  uplands  about  Alton,  and  prairies 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Centralia.  The  average  produc- 
tion per  tree  is  about  half  a  bushel. 

The  fruit  is  principally  shipped  to  Chicago,  St.  Louis, 
Cincinnati,  and  some  other  minor  points. 

Peaches  are  also  cultivated  to  some  extent  in  Indiana; 
more  especially  in  the  south-west,  and  on  the  shores  of 
Lake  Michigan  in  the  north.  Most  of  the  fruit,  however, 
is  consumed  at  home.  It  has  never  attracted  much  atten- 
tion, or  elicited  any  decided  effort.  Her  clay  lands,  and, 
in  some  places,  springy  soil,  seem  to  forbid  the  successful 
cultivation  of  the  Peach.  In  special  localities  it  could 
no  doubt  be  made  remunerative;  and,  to  some  extent, 
has  been. 

Kentucky  has  a  more  congenial  soil  and  climate,  which 
ought  to  command  complete  success;  yet  it  has  never  be- 
come a  leading  pursuit.  This  may  be,  in  part,  attributable 
to  her  great  capacity  and  success  in  corn  and  stock  raising, 
and  in  part  to  early  bias,  strengthened  and  confirmed 


22  PEACH  CULTURE. 

into  habitual  tendency.  Portions  of  the  State  are  eminently 
adapted  to  peach  growing,  while  her  proximity  to  good 
markets,  with  great  facilities,  both  by  land  and  water,  to 
reach  them,  are  strong  incentives  to  engage  in  this  delight- 
ful rural  pursuit.  Peach  culture,  however,  in  Kentucky,  is 
confined  principally  to  the  borders  on  the  Ohio  river,  and 
the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati  and  Louisville.  Along  the  Ohio 
very  little  is  raised  for  market,  but  much  for  home  con- 
sumption ;  while  in  the  neighborhood  of  Louisville,  enough 
is  raised  to  supply  the  city,  and  some  for  export. 

Very  fine  peaches  are  raised  in  Missouri,  especially  on 
the  hills  and  near  rivers.  Other  interests  have  hitherto 
engaged  the  attention  and  efforts  of  her  people ;  but  with 
a  climate  and  soil  so  kind,  transportation  so  easy  and 
cheap,  and  markets  so  near  and  good,  she  cannot  much 
longer  refrain  from  engaging  extensively  in  this  delightful 
pursuit ;  and  before  years  have  elapsed,  we  will  not  be 
surprised  to  see  Missouri  take  a  prominent  position  in 
Peach  Culture.  She  already  ranks  high  as  a  grape  grow- 
ing State. 

Her  sister  Kansas  has  already  distinguished  herself  for 
the  variety,  beauty,  and  excellency  of  her  fruit,  as  well  as 
the  interest  and  enterprise  she  has  shown  in  its  culture. 

At  the  great  National  Exhibition  at  Philadelphia  in 
1869,  few  displays  were  more  admired  or  commended 
than  hers ;  and  her  peaches  were  especially  attractive. 
For  a  young  State  she  has  shown  very  commendable 
zeal,  as  well  as  prog]  ess. 

In  Arkansas  and  1  exas  peaches  do  well,  and  the  trees 
attain  an  enormous  g  ize.  But  the  cultivation  receives  but 
little  attention ;  the  •  >rchards  are  small,  and  the  aggregate 
number  of  trees  incoi  isiderable. 

This  is  partly  o^  ing  to  the  want  of  knowledge,  and 
consequent  indifference,  on  the  part  of  the  people ;  but 
principally  to  the  want  of  good  markets  and  easy  access 


IKTBODUCTIOK.  23 

to  them,  whereby  the  culture  might  be  made  profitable. 
When  these  are  afforded,  it  will  no  doubt  increase. 

Along  the  Atlantic  slope,  from  Sandy  Hook  to  Cape 
Sable,  there  is  scarcely  a  district  in  which  the  Peach  does 
not  nourish. 

Of  New  Jersey,  Delaware,  and  Maryland,  we  have 
already  spoken.  The  remaining  Atlantic  States,  without 
exception,  produce  peaches,  and  of  great  excellence.  But 
the  culture  has  languished  from  the  same  cause,  but  not 
to  the  same  degree,  as  that  operating  in  Arkansas  and 
Texas,  the  want  of  a  convenient  market  and  cheap  trans- 
portation. They  have  no  great  cities  at  hand,  with  their 
swarming  millions,  to  consume  their  surplus ;  hence 
the  cultivation  has  been  confined  to  a  sufficiency  for 
home  use. 

But  the  recent  and  rapid  extension  of  railroad  facilities 
has  given  a  new  impetus  to  this  branch  of  agriculture; 
and  within  -the  last  three  years,  it  is  believed  at  least  two 
hundred  thousand  trees  have  been  planted  on  the  Atlantic 
slope  south  of  Maryland.  Most  of  these,  perhaps  four- 
fifths,  have  been  planted  in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina. 

In  Georgia,  Alabama,  and  Florida,  they  grow  luxuri- 
antly, but  they  have  been  overshadowed  by  other  interests. 

Florida  has  recently  been  giving  more  attention  to 
peaches,  and  we  saw  some  fine-looking  but  small-sized 
ones  in  the  Philadelphia  market  late  in  April,  1887. 

Virginia  may  be  regarded  as  the  mother  of  Peaches  as 
well  as  of  Presidents,  for,  for  more  than  half  a  century, 
she  was  the  principal  peach  grower  of  the  Union;  and 
while  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey  were  cultivating  a 
few  trees  in  fence  rows  and  gardens,  she  had  large  and 
flourishing  orchards,  numbering  thousands  of  trees.  The 
seed  was  brought  from  England  by  the  early  settlers,  and 
found  here  a  much  more  congenial  soil  and  clime  than  in 
the  mother  country.  Indeed,  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that 
almost  every  variety  brought  from  England  does  better 


24  PEACH   CtTLTtJRE. 

S*. 

here  than  there ;  while  those  taken  from  here,  do  worgg. 
The  reason  is  found  in  the  difference  of  soil  and  climate. 

Fifty  years  ago,  peaches,  in  Virginia,  were  raised  prin- 
cipally for  distillation,  and  from  them  was  made  a  strong, 
but  pure,  spirit,  called  Peach  Brandy,  a  very  popular 
drink,  and,  perhaps,  as  harmless  as  any  of  its  class.  In 
the  peach  districts,  every  neighborhood  had  its  distillery, 
as  every  one  had  its  mill,  and  the  surrounding  planters 
either  got  their  fruit  distilled  on  shares,  or  sold  it  to  the 
owner  of  a  still.  In  the  latter  case,  the  usual  price  was 
twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  bushel^  and  good  brandy 
could  be  bought  at  prices  ranging  from  twenty  to  fifty 
cents  per  gallon  !  But  that  was  before  internal  revenue 
officers  were  known,  and  before  the  producer  had  to  pay 
a  tenth  or  more  of  all  he  made  to  the  tax  gatherer.  In 
those  halcyon  days,  what  a  man  made  was  his  own,  and 
he  was  allowed  to  enjoy  it  without  fear  of  having  to 
share  it  with  strangers  who  had  not  assisted  in  its  pro- 
duction. 

But  peaches  increased,  while  brandy  drinking  decreased, 
and  their  cultivation  ceased  to  be  profitable.  Hence,  it 
was  almost  abandoned,  except  for  home  use,  and  Virginia 
fell  far  behind  New  Jersey  and  Delaware  as  a  peach  grow- 
ing State.  But  the  same  causes  that  are  operating  in  the 
States  further  south  of  her,  influence  her  also ;  and  it  is 
believed  that,  in  a  very  few  years,  she  will  again  place 
herself  in  the  front  rank  of  producers. 

In  ]STe\v  England  the  Peach  does  not  do  well,  and  is 
but  little  cultivated.  Her  soil  is  not  the  best,  but  the 
most  serious  obstacles  are  found  in  her  long,  severe  winters, 
and  cold,  moist,  north-easterly  winds,  which  must  always 
prevent  its  general  or  extensive  cultivation.  But  in  pro- 
tected situations,  on  the  south  sides  of  warm  walls,  under 
glass,  and  in  pots,  it  is  successfully  cultivated  as  a  choice 
luxury.  And  in  this,  as  in  other  exotics,  art  and  perse- 
verance compel  nature  to  yield  her  choicest  sweets.  It  is 


IHTKODUCTIOtf.  85 

remarked  here,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  that  the 
Peach  does  not  succeed  as  well  as  formerly;  oftener  fails 
to  produce  a  crop,  and  is  more  liable  to  disease  and  insects. 
This  deterioration,  as  elsewhere,  is  attributed  to  various 
causes,  but  the  more  common  opinion  seems  to  be  that  it 
is  due  to  climatic  modifications.  In  the  absence  of  satis- 
factory data,  we  are  inclined  to  believe  that,  in  all  cases, 
it  was  owing  more  to  the  change  in  ailments  of  the  soil 
than  anything  else.  In  new  lands,  where  vegetable  mould 
was  abundant,  we  have  never  known  the  Peach,  to  fail. 
If  the  same  plant-food  could  be  continuously  furnished, 
we  doubt  not  the  same  vigor  would  characterize  the  tree, 
and  the  same  crops  would  be  produced.  But  truly,  much 
is  yet  to  be  learned  in  regard  to  the  Peach.  We  think 
that  the  destruction  of  the  native  forests,  by  thus  re- 
moving their  salutary  protection  may  have  much  to 
do  in  preventing  the  production  of  peaches.  We  are 
now  well  aware  that  a  screen  of  this  kind,  especially  on 
the  north  and  north-west  sides  of  an  orchard,  is  of  great 
utility  in  protecting  both  trees  and  fruit.  Many  crude 
and  fantastic  notions  have  been  entertained  and  advanced 
in  regard  to  it.  A  single  incident,  some  fortuitous  circum- 
stance it  may  be,  has  fixed  a  thought  in  the  mind,  and 
this  has  produced  a  theory  which  has  been  advanced, 
advocated,  disseminated,  and  reiterated  until  it  has  grown 
into  a  popular  fallacy.  Half  a  century  ago,  Mr.  Thomas 
Coulter,  of  Bedford,  Pennsylvania,  insisted  that  the  only 
successful  way  to  obtain  a  good,  healthy  peach  orchard 
was  to  cut  down  the  trees  when  three  years  old  —  just 
before  coming  in — then  let  the  sprouts  grow  up  all 
around  the  old  stump  until  they  should  come  into  bear- 
ing, three  years  after,  when  they  would  naturally  be 
reduced  to  about  half  a  dozen  young,  thrifty,  and  pro- 
ductive trees!  Unique  and  peculiar  as  this  system  was, 
it  found  many  advocates,  and  was  gravely  and  elaborately 
supported  in  erudite  treatises! 


26  PEACH  CtJLTUKE. 

On  the  Pacific  coast,  the  Peach,  like  almost  every  other 
fruit,  finds  a  congenial  home,  and  is  extensively  culti- 
vated even  as  far  north  as  Oregon.  But  California,  that 
wonderful  land  of  surpassing  richness,  not  only  in  gold 
and  silver,  and  precious  stones,  but  in  silk,  wheat  and 
wine,  and  oranges,  and  pomegranates,  and  apples,  and 
pears,  also  produces  peaches  in  large  and  increasing  quan- 
tities. Here  the  peach  comes  in  much  sooner  than  is 
known  elsewhere  ;  it  is  even  asserted  that  a  seed,  planted 
at  the  proper  season,  will  produce  fruit  in  eighteen  months, 
while  the  ordinary  time  is  no  more  than  two  years. 

Until  recently  its  cultivation  has  received  but  little 
attention.  The  want  of  a  near  and  profitable  market,  the 
perishable  nature  of  the  fruit  itself,  the  superior  keeping 
qualities  of  others;  the  leading  interest  of  the  mines,  and 
the  high  price  of  labor,  naturally  and  necessarily  retarded 
Peach  Culture.  But  now,  since  the  introduction  of 
Chinese  labor,  the  completion  of  the  Pacific  railroad,  the 
reduction  of  the  profits  of  wine  making,  grain  growing, 
and  mining,  a  new  impetus  has  been  given  to  this  beauti- 
ful and  generally  profitable  branch  of  industry,  and  it  is 
likely  soon  to  become  an  important,  though  not  a  leading 
interest.  For,  although  the  productive  capacity  is  almost 
unlimited,  the  market  is  confined  to  home  consumption 
and  a  few  points  in  the  interior  along  the  line  of  the  rail- 
road. And  while  apples,  oranges,  grapes,  and  even  pears 
may  be  shipped  to  eastern  markets,  the  peach  never  can, 
until  some  new  method  of  preserving  its  freshness  has 
been  discovered. 

This  obstacle  to  its  extended  cultivation  may,  to  some 
extent  at  least,  be  obviated  by  canning  the  fruit;  and,  if 
new  markets  could  be  made  in  South  America,  China 
and  Japan  for  this  American  luxury,  the  business  might 
become  very  profitable. 

Notwithstanding,  however,  all  counteracting  influence, 
the  soil  and  climate  are  so  conducive  that  large  quantities 


INTRODUCTION.  27 

are  produced  annually;  and  the  number  of  trees  now 
planted  is  stated  to  be  800,000,  which  are  distributed 
among  thirteen  counties  as  follows:  Sacramento,  74,000; 
Santa  Clara,  70,000;  El  Dorado,  56,000;  Sonoma,  52,000; 
San  Joaquin,  45,000;  Butte,  40,000.  The  seven  counties 
to  wit:  Napa,  Placer,  Tuolumne,  Colusa,  Alameda,  Yolo, 
and  Yuba,  have  from  twenty  to  thirty  thousand  respec- 
tively. 

Although  the  climate  of  Oregon  is  not  too  cold  for  the 
Peach,  it  is  too  cool  and  humid,  except  in  the  southern 
part,  and  in  some  topographically  fortunate  localities 
where  it  succeeds  well. 

A  gentleman  in  the  Walla  Walla  Valley  writes  that  he 
raised,  in  1869,  a  thousand  bushels  of  fine  peaches  in  an 
orchard  of  five  acres  planted  six  years  before.  If  this  is 
reliable,  and  it  is  to  be  taken  as  an  average  yield,  it  sur- 
passes even  the  best  orchards  of  the  East.  But  we  incline 
to  the  opinion  that  the  circumstances  were  unusually 
happy,  or  that  the  statement  is  slightly  exaggerated. 

This  brief,  and  somewhat  hasty,  view  of  the  Peach 
Culture,  is  still  sufficient  to  show  the  wonderful  capacity 
of  our  country  for  its  production  in  rare  excellence,  and 
with  the  least  possible  labor  or  care.  While  the  people 
of  less  favored  regions  have  to  prepare,  if  not  make,  a  soil, 
provide  a  shelter,  and  labor,  and  watch  and  wait  for  a 
scanty  crop  of  small  and  inferior  fruit,  the  citizens  of  our 
most  highly  favored  land  have  millions  upon  millions  of 
acres  of  the  most  suitable  soil,  where  the  trees  grow  luxu- 
riantly, and  bear  bountifully,  in  a  few  years,  almost 
without  care,  and  without  any  shelter  except  the  starry 
canopy  of  a  benignant  sky  which  our  Heavenly  Father's 
love  has  spread  over  us  all. 

What  a  wonderful  land  we  have!  Mountains  and  val- 
leys, and  plains;  rivers,  and  lakes,  and  seas,  wheat,  and 
figs,  and  oranges,  and  pomegranates;  apples,  and  pears, 
and  peaches;  corn  and  oats;  milk,  and  oil,  and  wine;  flax 


28  PEACH  CULTURE. 

and  wool,  and  silk;  coal,  and  iron,  and  copper;  and  silver, 
and  gold,  and  precious  stones!  And  free  to  enjoy  them 
all !  None  to  molest  or  make  us  afraid !  What  a  spectacle 
of  munificence  and  power!  "What  a  wonderful  display  of 
divine  goodness!  Can  we  do  aught  else  than  exclaim  with 
the  Koyal  Psalmist  of  Israel,  "Oh,  that  men  would 
praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness,  and  for  his  wonderful 
works  to  the  children  of  men!" 

Sad  thought  that,  through  our  ingratitude,  folly,  and 
sin  we  may  turn  this  cup  of  blessing  and  happiness  into 
one  of  misfortune  and  misery!  But  let  us  hope  and  pray 
for  the  continued  favor  of  Him  who  "doeth  all  things 
well ";  and  let  each  strive  individually  to  discharge  his 
own  appropriate  duty;  and  so  live  that  he  may  join  with  a 
good  conscience  in  this  beautiful  and  solemn  invocation: 

"  O  be  Thou  still  our  guardian  God; 
Preserve  these  States  from  every  foe; 
From  party  rage,  from  scenes  of  blood, 
From  sin,  and  every  cause  of  woe. 

Here  may  the  great  Redeemer  reign, 
Display  his  grace  and  saving  power; 
Here  liberty  and  truth  maintain, 
Till  empires  fall  to  rise  no  more.'* 


SITE    OF   NUKSERY.  29 

CHAPTER    I. 

SITE    OF    NURSERY. 

As  much  of  the  success  of  the  nursery  will  depend 
upon  the  ground,  the  greatest  care  should  be  exercised  in 
its  selection.  In  most  of  the  Southern  States,  and  especial- 
ly on  the  Delaware  Peninsula,  south  of  the  Delaware  and 
Chesapeake  Cannl,  no  difficulty  will  be  met  in  obtaining  a 
suitable  site,  as  nearly  every  farm  has  a  field  or  more  in 
which  a  very  eligible  one  may  be  found.  But  further 
north  and  west  good  sites  are  not  so  common.  Still,  it  is 
believed  there  are  but  few  sections,  or  even  localities,  in 
which,  by  a  little  care,  good  ones  may  not  be  had.  The 
land  should  be  dry.  All  that  holds  water  should  be  re- 
jected, because,  first,  it  will  retard  planting  and  cultiva- 
tion, and  render  the  latter  much  more  difficult  and  ex- 
pensive. Secondly,  the  seed  will  be  longer  in  coming  up, 
and,  if  the  season  should  be  late  and  cold,  much  of  it 
may  rot. 

It  should  not  only  be  dry,  but  it  should  be  light,  and 
warm.  A  sandy  soil  is  in  every  way  to  be  preferred. 
The  peach  seems  to  delight  in  it.  It  accelerates  maturity 
and  fructification.  Clay  soil  is  not  suitable.  It  is  too 
stiff;  it  is  hard  to  till ;  it  is  too  retentive  of  moisture;  it 
bakes,  and  becomes  lumpy,  and  it  should  be  rejected 
without  hesitation,  unless  no  other  can  be  had.  Gravelly 
soil  is  better,  and,  if  naturally  good,  or  artificially  en- 
riched, will  answer.  The  rich  alluvials  of  our  river  bot- 
toms do  very  well ;  and  when  a  rapid  and  vigorous  growth, 
and  large,  showy  trees  are  desired,  are  excellent;  but  we 
do  not  commend  them,  especially  if  the  trees  are  not  to 
be  set  in  an  orchard  where  the  land  is  equally  good ;  for 
if  the  growth  has  been  too  much  stimulated,  and  the  trees 
become  too  large,  it  will  be  more  of  an  injury  than  bene- 


30  PEACH    CULTURE. 

fit.  The  soil  in  the  orchard  should  rather  be  superior 
than  inferior  to  that  of  the  nursery,  and  then  the  growth 
will  receive  no  check  in  transplanting.  Planters  will 
promote  their  own  interests  by  noting  this,  and  acting 
upon  it.  A  good  roadster  is  not  obtained  by  stuffing  the 
colt  and  starving  the  horse. 

For  the  sake  of  straight  rows  and  uniformity  of  trees, 
and  ease,  convenience,  and  satisfaction  of  cultivation,  the 
ground  should  be  level.  It  should  also  be  free  from  roots, 
stones,  and  other  extraneous  matter.  Every  inch  of 
ground  is  wanted,  and  the  cultivator  can  ill  afford  to  have 
any  part  of  his  nursery  taken  up  with  roots  or  stones. 
Besides,  they  greatly  interfere  with  the  tillage,  and  often 
ruin  a  tree  by  accidentally  striking  off  the  bud.  Corn 
stubble,  or  other  land  cultivated  the  preceding  season,  in 
hill  or  drill  crop,  is  best ;  for,  if  the  cultivation  has  been 
good,  it  will  be  clean  and  mellow,  the  very  thing  for  the 
ground- work  of  a  good  nursery. 

If  the  object  be  to  rear  trees  for  market,  a  site  easy  of 
access,  on  a  public  road,  and  near  a  depot,  should  be  se- 
lected. This  will  prove  very  convenient  and  advantage- 
ous. Out-of-the-way  places,  and  those  beyond  gates  and 
bars,  will  be  expensive.  Hands  have  to  be  employed, 
time  has  to  be  consumed,  delays  ensue.  All  these  involve 
outlay,  diminish  profits,  and  injure  business.  Discard 
them  by  seeking  a  location  just  at  hand.  You  may  have 
to  pay  more  rent,  but  that,  compared  with  the  subse- 
quently increased  incidental  expenses,  is  nothing.  Our 
advice  is,  be  just  in  the  proper  place  if  you  intend  to 
succeed.  Such  a  location,  besides  its  convenience,  will  be 
an  advertisement — a  very  striking  one,  and  a  very  widely 
disseminated  one.  If  the  nursery  is  a  fine  one,  it  will 
elicit  general  remark  and  commendation,  which  will  prove 
highly  advantageous  to  the  proprietor.  This  is  especially 
true  in  the  neighborhood  of  towns,  where  people  are  pass- 
ing and  repassing  continually,  and  where  the  very  sight 


SEED.  31 

of  fine  trees  is  an  incitement  to  plant  an  orchard,  as  well 
as  a  recommendation  of  the  trees  themselves.  We  could 
give  instances  of  large  and  profitable  sales,  referable  to 
location  alone. 

A  planter  who  intends  rearing  merely  for  his  own  use, 
will  not  be  influenced  by  these  considerations,  and  will 
consult  his  taste  or  special  convenience. 

In  selecting  a  site  for  a  nursery  then,  let  it  be  a  dry, 
light  sandy  soil,  free  from  stones,  and  easy  of  access. 


CHAPTER  IL 

SEED. 

The  seed  should  be  selected  with  great  care.  A  mis- 
take here  is  radical,  and  cannot  be  corrected  afterwards, 
as  some  others  can.  It  is  even  more  important  to  have 
good  peach  seed  than  good  seed  wheat  or  corn ;  for,  in 
the  case  of  peaches,  the  orchard  is  to  last  for  ten,  fifteen, 
or  even  twenty  years,  while  in  that  of  wheat  or  corn  it  is 
only  for  a  single  season.  In  the  latter,  one  crop  only  is 
injured ;  in  the  former,  ten,  or  a  score.  The  seed  should 
be  healthy.  The  least  appearance  of  disease  in  the  trees 
should  decide  every  prudent  man  to  reject  the  seed  of 
those  trees  when  selecting  for  himself,  and  every  honest 
one  when  selecting  to  sell.  For  if  diseased  seed  be  used, 
the  young  tree  will  not  only  be  feeble  and  sickly,  but  the 
disease  will  most  probably  be  disseminated  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  communicated  toother  trees,  and  thus  incalcula- 
ble injury  be  done.  Indeed,  the  man  who  sells  promiscu- 
lously  a  drove  of  cattle  infected  with  rinderpest,  does 
not  do  half  so  much  injury  as  the  one  who  disseminates 
diseased  peach  trees. 


32  PEACH    CULTURE. 

No  seed,  therefore,  should  be  taken  from  an  orchard 
that  is  diseased ;  but  especially  none  from  any  orchard  in- 
fected in  the  least  with  the  yellows,  as  this  is,  perhaps,  the 
most  contagious  and  unmanageable  of  all  diseases  inci- 
dent to  peach  culture.  It  should  also  be  ripe  fruit ;  for, 
while  the  seed  of  an  immature  peach  may  not  actually 
communicate  disease  to  the  young  tree,  yet  it  will  most 
likely  produce  a  feeble  stock,  predisposed  to  disease  and 
"short  life. 

The  seed  should  be  of  natural  fruit.  It  is  more  vigor- 
ous, more  hardy,  more  certain  to  germinate,  and  the  trees 
live  longer.  This  should  never  be  overlooked  by  any 
planter  who  wishes  the  full  reward  of  his  labor.  The 
seed  of  budded  fruit  will  grow,  it  is  true,  but  it  is  not  so 
certain  to  do  so.  The  kernels  are  often  diseased  or  de- 
fective; hardly  ever  so  firm,  round,  and  nutty  as  the 
natural  ones.  The  first  effort  of  nature  seems  to  be  the 
reproduction  and  perpetuation  of  the  tree  in  health  and 
vigor ;  that  of  art  the  production  of  fruit  of  the  richest 
flavor  and  most  delicate  beauty.  Both,  in  perfection, 
seem  unattainable  in  one  tree.  If  we  want  highly  vigor- 
ous and  long-lived  trees,  we  must  never  bud  or  graft ; 
but  if  we  wish  rich,  luscious  fruit,  we  must  do  both.  But, 
as  a  healthy,  vigorous  tree  is  essential  to  the  production 
of  the  finest  fruit,  we  must  strive  for  this  also.  Happily,  the 
art  of  budding  enables  us  to  approximate  both ;  but  they 
can  only  be  produced  by  a  constant  repetition  of  innocu- 
lation  on  natural  stocks.  Hence,  we  must  plant  natural 
seed  in  order  to  obtain  a  healthy,  vigorous  tree,  and  bud 
on  it  an  ingrafted  cion,  that  we  may  have  large,  rich, 
and  beautiful  fruit.  And  we  may  just  as  well  expect  fine 
fruit  from  repeatedly  planting  natural  seed,  as  fine  trees 
from  planting  budded  seed.  An  honest  dealer  will  not, 
of  course,  sell  the  seed  of  budded  fruit  for  natural ;  but  a 
little  observation  and  experience  will  enable  any  one  to 
judge  for  himself  and  avoid  imposition. 


SEED.  33 

In  buying  seed,  if  the  purchaser  is  inexperienced,  he 
should  call  in  the  aid  of  some  friend  who  has  experience 
and  knowledge  in  the  matter.  If  he  has  to  rely  upon 
himself,  a  hint  or  two  may  be  of  advantage  to  him. 
Natural  seed,  then,  is  smaller  than  that  of  budded  fruit. 
This  is  the  rule.  There  may  be  some  varieties  which 
form  exceptions,  but  they  are  not  numerous.  Hale's  Early 
is  one. 

The  natural  seed  is  also  of  fairer  color.  The  natural 
may  be  called  light-brown,  or  hazel,  the  budded,  dark' 
brown,  or  maroon.  This  difference  is  not  always  apparent 
to  the  unpracticed  eye,  but  a  dealer  or  nurseryman  will 
detect  it  in  an  instant ;  and  any  one  will  soon  be  able  to 
do  so  by  comparing  a  few  samples  of  each.  The  shell  is 
also  closer  grained,  and  the  bowls  or  cavities  smaller  in 
the  natural  than  in  the  budded.  They  are  also  cleaner. 
In  the  budded  fruit  there  often  adheres  a  small  quantity 
of  the  luscious  juice  or  pulp  to  the  pits  ;  this  cleaves  to 
the  walls  of  the  cavities,  and  is  plainly  discernable  by 
close  inspection.  It  also  tends  to  give  a  darker  shade  to 
the  color.  The  natural  seed  is  also  distinguished  by  the 
fineness  of  the  union  of  the  two  halves  or  valves  of  the 
stone.  It  is  very  close  and  tenacious,  while  in  the  budded 
it  is  often  imperfect  and  slight.  In  the  former,  a  separa- 
tion of  the  two  valves,  without  fracture,  is  almost  im- 
practicable, while  in  the  latter  it  is  often  quite  easy.  In 
one  case  a  hammer,  in  the  other  a  knife,  will  be  required. 
There  is  also  nearly  as  much  difference  in  the  kernels. 
Those  of  the  natural  seed  are  quite  hard,  close,  and  nutty, 
as  compact  as  a  filbert,  while  the  others  are  often  defect- 
ive in  form,  and  the  two  complementary  halves  of  which 
they  are  formed  frequently  separate  in  handling,  or  may 
be  separated  by  slight  effort.  Attention  to  these  tests 
will  enable  any  one  to  distinguish  the  seed  of  natural, 
from  that  of  budded  fruit. 

In  former  times,  when  nearly  all  our  peaches  were  nat- 
3 


34  PEACH   CULTURE. 

ural  fruit,  there  was  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  seed  ;  but 
in  late  years  nearly  all  our  old  orchards  of  natural  fruit 
have  been  abandoned  and  allowed  to  go  into  decay. 
Besides  this,  the  cultivation  of  the  peach  has  been  so 
much  extended,  and  the  demand  for  seed  so  much  in- 
creased, that  it  has  become  comparatively  scarce.  And 
while  it  used  to  be  procured  at  almost  a  nominal  price, 
say  twenty-five  cents  a  bushel,  it  now  commands  as  much 
as  wheat,  and  sometimes  more.  We  are  not  aware  of 
any  place  where  orchards  of  natural  fruit  are  maintained 
for  the  specific  purpose  of  producing  seed.  That  has  not 
yet  become  necessary.  In  several  of  the  States,  especially 
in  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  Maryland,  and 
Virginia,  there  are  still  remnants  of  old  orchards,  isolated 
rows,  or  scattering  trees  of  natural  fruit,  which  are  toler- 
ated as  relics  of  the  past,  or  cherished  as  reminiscences 
of  youthful  pleasures  and  enjoyments,  recalling  the  mem- 
ories of  a  revered  ancestry.  From  these  old  trees, 
broken  down  and  renewed,  perhaps  a  dozen  times,  comes 
our  good  seed,  which  is  to  furnish  excellent  stocks  for  our 
young,  broad,  and  numerous  orchards  of  later  days. 
Besides  these,  in  many  nurseries  a  natural  tree  will  spring 
up,  escape  detection,  be  shipped,  and  planted  with  the 
budded  ones,  and  never  discovered  until  in  bearing ;  then 
pity  lets  it  stand ;  and  it,  too,  furnishes  more  good  seed. 
This  seed  is  saved  by  the  children  or  tenants  of  the  plant- 
ers, taken  to  the  nearest  store,  and  thus  finds  its  way  to 
market.  Honest  men,  whether  planters  or  merchants, 
deal  in  no  other ;  but  the  love  of  gain  is  so  strong  in  many 
as  to  induce  them  to  offer  and  buy  the  seed  of  the  budded 
fruit,  and  large  quantities  of  it  get  into  market,  where  it  is 
re-purchased  by  ignorant  or  reckless  nurserymen  and  plant- 
ed ;  and  thus  thousands  of  inferior  or  diseased  trees  are 
scattered  over  the  country,  to  bring  loss  and  disappoint- 
ment, where  fortune  and  satisfaction  would  otherwise  have 
attended.  Hence,  the  great  importance  of  nurserymen 


SEED.  35 

selecting  good  seed;  but  especially  of  planters  either 
raising  their  own  trees,  or  buying  only  from  those  they 
know  to  be  careful,  intelligent,  and  honest.  There  are 
Buch,  we  know,  and  we  are  also  sorry  to  know  that  there 
are  some  who  are  not  such.  Each  class  pursues  its  own 
course  in  the  procurement  of  the  seed.  The  one  gives  an 
order  for  so  many  bushels,  for  which  a  certain  price  will  be 
paid;  the  order  is  filled  with  such  seed  as  can  be  procured 
at  the  price,  leaving  a  margin  for  profit  to  the  factor.  The 
other  employs  local  agents  in  sections  in  which  good  seed 
is  known  to  abound,  with  instructions  to  purchase  nothing 
but  pure  seed.  When  the  time  arrives  for  collecting  it, 
the  foreman,  or  some  other  reliable  practical  man,  is  sent 
to  inspect  it,  and  all  that  is  not  first-rate  is  rejected.  In 
this  way  the  nurseryman's  reputation  is  established,  and 
his  business  becomes  large,  profitable,  and  permanent. 

The  greater  part  of  seed  for  the  Eastern  markets  is 
obtained  in  the  eastern  shore  counties  of  Maryland  and 
Virginia,  especially  in  the  latter,  where  the  old  natural 
orchards  have  not  yet  given  place  to  those  of  budded  fruit. 

The  price  of  good  seed  varies  from  fifty  cents  to  five 
dollars  per  bushel,  according  to  locality  and  the  abun- 
dance of  the  peach  crop.  About  two  dollars  is  the  ordi- 
nary price.  The  greater  part  of  our  natural  seed  is  now 
procured  in  Eastern  and  Central  Tennessee,  and  the 
average  price  is  about  one  dollar  per  bushel  in  Eastern 
markets. 

It  requires  from  five  to  twelve  bushels  of  seed  to  the 
acre,  according  as  the  nurseryman  plants  it  closely  or 
widely.  In  the  North  they  usually  plant  from  seven  to 
ten  inches  apart,  while  on  the  Peninsula  only  two  and  a 
half  and  three.  In  the  latter  they  expect  to,  and  do,  rear 
from  ten  to  twelve  thousand  first-class  trees  to  the  acre. 


36  PEACH   CULTURE. 


CHAPTER    in. 

SEED-BED. 

The  proper  time  to  prepare  the  seed-bed  is  just  before 
freezing  sets  in  in  the  fall.  Some  convenient  spot  in  the 
garden  or  field  is  selected.  It  should  be  free  from  roots 
or  stones,  and  is  the  better  for  having  been  cultivated  in 
corn  or  vegetables  the  season  before.  It  should  be  dry 
land,  that  is,  free  from  standing  water  during  the  winter 
in  which  the  seed  is  to  remain  in  the  ground. 

When  a  suitable  spot  has  been  selected,  the  next  thing 
is  to  mark  it  off.  It  may  be  of  any  size  desired.  If  the 
nursery  is  to  be  a  large  one,  the  more,  of  course,  will  be 
required.  When  this  is  done,  the  seed  is  thickly  spread 
over  the  ground,  about  three  inches  deep.  It  is  then 
"  spaded  in."  This  is  done  by  spading  the  ground  cover- 
ed by  the  seed  in  the  same  manner  as  is  usual  in  garden 
culture,  and  is  usually  about  six  inches  deep.  By  this 
method  the  seed  is  completely  mixed  with,  and  covered 
up  in  the  soil.  Some  is  carried  nearly  or  quite  to  the 
bottom  of  the  stirred  ground,  and  the  rest  is  pretty  well 
distributed  between  that  and  the  surface.  Here  it  lies 
freezing  and  thawing  all  winter,  and  by  spring  the  shells 
are  so  far  loosened  as  to  be  readily  separated  by  a  slight 
effort,  or  even  in  handling.  The  kernels  will  be  found  to 
be  swollen,  and  many  of  them  sprouted.  They  are  now 
ready  to  be  planted  in  the  nursery. 

Another  method  is  to  spread  the  seed  on  the  surface  of 
the  ground,  cover  it  over  with  sawdust  or  spent  tan  bark, 
from  three  to  five  inches,  and  leave  it  to  the  weather,  as 
before.  This  method  is  not  so  common  as  the  first,  but 
we  believe  it  equally  good,  and  not  quite  so  laborious. 
Others,  again,  spread  the  bed  over  with  the  seed,  then 
cover  it  about  an  inch  deep  with  mold,  then  another  layer 


PBEPABATION   OP  GBOUND  FOB  NUBSEBY.  37 

of  seed,  and  so  on,  in  alternate  layers,  until  all  is  bedded ; 
and  this  they  claim  is  the  best  method  of  all.  Some  make 
no  seed-bed  at  all,  but  plant  the  seed  at  first  in  the  nurs- 
ery. This  method  we  shall  speak  of  again  when  we  come 
to  treat  of  the  nursery. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

PREPARATION  OF  GROUND  FOR  NURSERY. 

This  is  simple,  but  it  should  be  done  with  skill  and  care. 
The  form  should  be  a  square  or  a  parallelogram,  and  it 
is  immaterial  which.  These  forms  are  preferable,  because 
the  nurseryman  wishes  to  avoid  point  rows,  and  they  are 
the  only  ones  that  enable  him  to  do  so.  The  advantage 
of  even  rows  is  found  in  fewer  turns  in  preparing  and  cul- 
tivating the  ground,  less  injury  to  the  trees,  and  a  conse- 
quent saving  of  both  time  and  money. 

To  secure  this,  the  plat  should  be  squared  or  staked  off 
with  the  parallel  lines  running  east  and  west  at  right 
angles  with  those  running  north  and  south.  In  this  way 
there  will  be  no  lost  ground  nor  point  rows.  The  next 
thing  is  to  plow  the  ground.  This  should  be  done  in  the 
spring,  as  soon  as  it  is  in  good  order — about  the  same 
time  as  for  corn.  Plowing  should  be  thorough,  and  about 
the  ordinary  depth.  From  six  to  eight  inches  will  do  very 
well.  The  furrows  should  not  be  too  wide  ;  they  should 
be  rather  within  than  beyond  the  average.  They  should 
be  of  uniform  width  and  depth.  By  observing  these 
rules,  complete  pulverization  and  a  very  smooth  surface 
will  be  attained. 

The  next  thing  is  the  harrowing.  The  ordinary  drag 
is  the  proper  implement.  If  the  ground  is  of  the  char- 


PEACH   CULTURE. 


acter  we  have  been  describing  as  suitable,  once  or  twice 
over  will  be  sufficient.  If  stiff  or  cloddy,  more  will  be 
required.  In  any  case,  all  the  lumps  should  be  completely 
broken,  and  if  any  chips,  roots,  or  stones,  show  themselves 
on  the  surface,  they  should  be  gathered  up  and  carried  off. 
The  ground  should  now  be  rolled  with  a  good,  heavy 

wooden  or  metal  roller. 
This  will  thoroughly  crush 
any  remaining  lumps  that 
may  have  escaped  both 
plow  and  harrow.  It  will 
also  pack  the  ground,  and 
give  a  very  fine  smooth 
surface. 

These  preliminaries  hav- 
ing been  gone  through,  the 
only  remaining  preparation 
necessary  is  "  signing "  or 
marking  out  the  ground. 
As  the  rows  are  to  be  plant- 
ed in  drills,  this,  of  course, 


Fig.  1.— DIAGRAM  OF  NURSERY. 


is  only  done  one  way.  From  north  to  south  is  preferable, 
as  the  sun,  light  and  heat,  reaches  more  of  the  surface  of 
the  young  trees  than  if  the  rows  run  in  any  other  direction. 
The  rows  may  be  run  with  a  light  plow,  as  for  corn, 
but  this  is  not  the  best 
way,  and  when  the  nursery 
is  large,  the  following 
method  will  be  found  both 
economical  and  good.  If  the 
nursery  is  fenced  off  by  itself, 
run  a  furrow  parallel  with  the  northern  fence,  and  at  the 
distance  of  four  or  five  feet  from  it ;  a  similar  one  at  the 
southern  end,  as  shown  at  figure  1,  where  a,  a,  are  the 
head  rows,  running  east  and  west,  and  5,  5,  the  nursery 
rows,  running  north  and  south.  The  rows  of  trees  are 


Fig.  2.— MARKER. 


PEEPAEATION  OF  GROUND  FOR  NURSERY.       39 

to  end  at  these  furrows.  The  head  rows  afford  space  for 
turning  the  horse  in  cultivating  the  .nursery.  They  may 
be  each  occupied  with  a  row  of  potatoes,  if  it  is  desired 
to  till  every  inch  of  ground.  The  end  of  the  tree  rows 
should  not  extend  close  to  the  fence,  as  the  young  trees 
will  certainly  be  injured  by  turning  in  the  cultivation,  and 
the  ground  will  not  be  kept  so  clean.  When  this  is  done, 
run  the  row  as  straight  as  practicable  north  and  south, 
and  at  the  distance  of  three  and  a  half  to  four  feet  apart. 
The  distance  varies  according  as  the  character  of  the  soil 
and  climate  affect  the  growth  of  the  trees.  In  a  rich 
southern  soil,  the  greater  distance  will  be  none  too  much; 
while  in  the  North,  especially  if  the  soil  is  thin,  the  less 
will  be  quite  sufficient.  The  depth  of  the  furrow  should 
not  be  less  than  an  inch  and  a  half,  nor  more  than  two 
and  a  half  inches. 

Instead  of  the  plow,  a  peculiar  implement,  a  sort  of 
sledge,  is  sometimes  used,  and  with  advantage.  It  is 
made  by  taking  two  pieces  of  oak  plank,  each  four  or  five 
feet  long,  twelve  inches  wide,  and  two  thick.  The  front 
ends  are  rounded  off  like  a  runner  for  a  water-sled.  The 
runners  are  then  connected,  sled-like,  by  two  cross-bars, 
mortised  and  fastened  into  them,  as  in  fig.  2.  The  distance 
apart  is  the  distance  desire  1  for  the  rows,  as  above  describ- 
ed. With  this  implement  two  rows  instead  of  one  can  be 
made  at  the  same  time.  Besides  this,  the  depth  of  the 
rows  as  well  as  the  distance  apart  will  be  more  uniform. 
Altogether,  it  is  much  preferable,  while  the  cost  of  mak- 
ing one  is  insignificant.  Any  intelligent  farm  hand  can 
construct  one.  It  may  also  be  enlarged  so  as  to  mark 
three,  or  even  more,  rows,  by  simply  adding  a  runner  for 
every  additional  row  desired,  and  one,  two,  o*  three  borseg 
may  be  used  to  drag  it. 


40  FEACH   CULTURE. 

•CHAPTER    V. 

PLANTING  THE  SEED. 

The  nursery  ground  having  been  prepared  as  described 
in  the  preceding  chapter,  the  seed-bed  is  now  overhauled. 
If  the  seed  was  buried  in  sawdust  on  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  or  layered,  all  that  is  now  necessary,  is  to  shovel 
up  the  seed  and  dust  into  coarse  wire  sieves,  and  sift  out 
the  latter.  By  this  process  a  complete  separation  will 
take  place,  and  the  seed  will  remain  in  the  sieves  quite 
clean  and  nice.  If  it  was  spaded  in,  the  whole  mass  of 
the  bed  will  have  to  be  spaded  up,  and  if  it  is  loose  and 
dry,  it  can  be  sifted,  as  in  the  former  case ;  but  if  wet  or 
lumpy,  it  may  be  necessary  to  pick  out  the  seed  by  hand. 

The  seed  is  now  carefully  examined.  The  kernels  have 
swollen  so  much  as  to  have  burst  many  of  the  shells,  and 
loosened  others.  In  some  cases  the  shells  have  already 
fallen  oif,  or  will  do  so  in  handling.  All  these  are  ready 
to  plant.  Some  cultivators  will  take  off  all  the  shells 
and  place  the  kernels  in  the  baskets  to  be  carried  to 
the  nursery ;  but  this  is  not  necessary,  as  they  are  no  ob- 
struction to  the  growth  of  the  germ.  It  has  one  advant- 
age, however ;  it  enables  the  cultivator  to  see  exactly 
whether  or  not  the  seed  is  perfect.  It  also  enables  him 
to  discover  whether  or  not  the  shell  has  been  sufficiently 
iffected  by  the  frosts  of  winter  to  prepare  the  seed  for 
planting  without  further  preparation.  On  examining  a 
seed-bed,  some  of  the  seed  will  be  found  to  be  little  af- 
fected by  the  previous  freezing.  These  should  be  separated 
from  the  others,  and  cracked  open  with  a  hammer.  This 
is  done  by  taking  the  seed  between  the  thumb  and  fore- 
finger of  the  left  hand,  placing  it  edgewise  on  a  solid 
block,  and  giving  it  a  sharp,  but  moderate  stroke  with  a 
light  hammer.  This  will  separate  the  two  valves,  and 


PLANTING  THE    SEED.  41 

leave  the  kernel  uninjured.  If  this  breaking  process  does 
not  take  place,  that  seed  is  not  fit  to  plant  the  first  season. 

When  the  seed  has  been  thus  taken  up,  sifted,  shelled, 
and  deposited  in  baskets,  it  is  ready  to  be  carried  to  the 
nursery  to  be  planted.  If  the  sun  is  warm,  or  the  wind 
dry,  or  both,  the  baskets  are  covered  with  damp  cloths 
or  matting,  in  order  to  keep  the  seed  from  being  injured 
by  the  exposure.  It  is  always  advisable  to  keep  the  seed 
in  the  baskets  in  about  the  same  temperature  and  hu- 
midity it  was  before,  as  all  sudden  changes  have  a  tend- 
ency to  injure  or  destroy  it. 

It  is  planted,  in  the  rows  already  marked  out,  at  about 
two  inches  and  a  half  apart.  It  may  be  closer  or  more 
distant.  If  large  trees  are  desired,  a  greater  distance  will 
be  advisable  ;  but  if  number  and  not  size  is  the  object 
sought,  two  inches  will^do,  especially  if  stimulating  fertil- 
izers are  used.  This  close  planting,  however,  we  do  not 
recommend. 

Small  lads  are  usually  employed  to  drop  the  seed,  and 
when  clever  ones  can  be  obtained,  they  are  preferable  to 
men,  for  the  reason  that  they  will  do  as  much  work  for 
half  the  money.  Besides,  the  stooping  posture  they  have 
to  assume  does  not  tire  them  so  much  as  it  does  men.  A 
careful  man,  however,  should  always  be  along  to  cover  up 
the  seed,  and  to  exercise  general  control.  The  seed  is 
usually  covered  with  a  rake,  by  drawing  the  loose 
mold  over  it,  about  two  inches  deep.  This  should  be 
pressed  down  closely,  so  as  to  come  in  close  contact  with 
the  seed,  and  afford  it  aliment  from  the  start.  The  cov- 
erer  may  do  it  by  simply  walking  up  the  row  as  he  pro- 
ceeds with  his  task,  or  it  may  be  slapped  down  with  a 
spade  or  shovel,  or  a  light  roller  may  be  used.  And  here 
the  work  of  planting  the  nursery  is  ended.  But  should 
the  ground  be  poor,  or  the  season  cold  and  backward,  a 
slight  dressing  of  some  active  fertilizer  should  be  used. 
Ashes,  guano,  or  any  of  the  popular  superphosphates  will 


4  FEACH   CtTLTURE. 

do  very  well.  If  guano  is  used,  care  should  be  taken  to 
reduce  it  to  the  proper  strength,  by  mixing  with  it  two 
or  three  times  its  bulk  of  soil. 

This  is  the  approved  method  of  planting  a  nursery, 
and  for  nurserymen,  is,  perhaps,  the  best  of  all  others,  as 
it  enables  them  to  use  every  inch  of  ground,  and  examine 
every  seed.  But  to  the  planter  who  only  aims  to  rear  a 
few  thousand  trees  for  his  own  use,  we  commend  the 
following. 

Prepare  the  ground  in  all  respects  as  directed  in  the 
last  chapter,  but  in  the  /o$Lj»stead  of  the  spring.  Then 
plant  your  seed — not  in  the  seed-bed,  but  in  the  nursery 
rows  where  you  wish  them  to  grow.  The  manner  of 
dropping  and  covering  is  the  same  in  both  cases.  The 
advantages  of  this  method  are  the  following :  It  is  more 
simple,  there  is  no  seed-bed,  no  sawdust  or  spading  in ; 
no  cracking  of  seed  in  the  spring,  no  covering  with  damp 
cloths.  It  is  cheaper.  The  labor  of  the  seed-bed,  crack- 
ing, and  transporting  the  seed  to  the  field  or  nursery  is 
all  saved.  It  is  usually  more  convenient,  because  it  is 
done  in  the  fall,  and  after  other  farm  work,  when  the 
ground  is  in  better  order,  and  labor  cheaper  and  more 
easily  had.  And  lastly,  it  insures  a  more  complete  separa- 
tion of  the  kernels  from  the  shells,  as  the  depth  below 
the  surface  is  uniform,  and  the  freezing  process  equal. 
To  planters  and  small  nurserymen,  we  recommend  the  last 
method  whenever  it  is  convenient.  When  not  so,  they 
can  make  their  seed-bed  in  the  ordinary  way. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

NURSERY  CULTIVATION. 

The  cultivation  of  the  nursery  is  both  easy  and  simple, 
and,  if  our  directions  for  selecting  and  preparing  the 
ground  have  been  followed,  will  be  pleasant  and  gratify- 


NTTESEEY   CULTIVATION.  43 

ing.  It  is  almost  identical  with  that  of  corn ;  and  were 
the  latter  cultivated  in  drills,  would  be  precisely  the  same. 

If  everything  has  been  well  done,  and  the  season  favor- 
able, in  about  two  weeks  after  planting — we  now  speak 
of  spring  planting — the  young  trees  or  sprouts  will  be 
thickly  set  from  one  end  of  the  row  to  the  other.  They 
may  be  three  inches  high  if  the  ground  is  very  warm  and 
kind,  and  the  sun  and  rain  conducive ;  or  less,  under  less 
favorable  circumstances.  A  sharp,  light  cultivator  should 
now  be  run  between  the  first  and  third  rows,  then  be- 
tween the  second  and  fourth,  but  never  between  adjacent 
rows  on  the  same  round;  because  by  doing  so  you  have  to 
make  short  turns,  which  impose  more  labor  on  the  plow- 
men, and  often  injures  the  trees  in  the  end  of  the  rows 
by  the  treading  of  the  horse,  or  bruising  with  the  culti- 
vator. Sometimes  a  small  harrow  will  be  preferable  to 
the  cultivator,  especially  if  there  are  no  weeds,  and  the 
Dbject  is  simply  to  stir  the  ground.  A  week  later  this 
should  be  repeated  ;  and  so  continuously,  through  the 
early  half  of  the  season ;  afterwards,  the  dressings  may 
be  less  frequent,  or  suspended  altogether,  according  as 
the  ground  is  clean  and  mellow,  and  the  growth  rapid,  or 
otherwise. 

Should  weeds  or  grass  make  their  appearance  amongst 
the  trees  in  the  row,  they  must  be  promptly  hoed  or 
pulled  up,  root  and  branch  ;  they  have  no  business  there, 
and  deserve  no  mercy. 

Should  the  season  be  dry,  or  the  ground  stiff,  it  may  be 
necessary  to  use  a  small  plow  occasionally.  Immediately 
after,  the  harrow  should  follow,  so  that  the  clods  may  be 
broken  up  and  pulverized. 

If  the  ground  has  been  well  prepared,  the  subsequent 
culture  good,  and  the  season  favorable,  the  growth  of  the 
young  trees  will  be  very  rapid,  and  highly  gratifying ; 
and  by  the  last  of  August  they  will  have  attained  a  hight 
of  four,  five,  or  even  six  feet,  and  be  quite  strong  and 


44  PEACH   CULTURE. 

stocky.  Should  they  flag,  however,  during  the  season, 
they  may  be  stimulated  and  advanced  by  the  application 
of  artificial  manures,  especially  by  liquid  ones.  The  last 
should  be  applied  with  a  watering-can,  between  sundown 
and  dark,  directly  at  the  roots  of  the  trees.  A  very  good 
method  to  apply  guano  or  superphosphate,  is  to  run  a 
small  furrow  as  near  the  rows  on  each  side  as  can  be  done 
without  injury  to  the  roots,  throwing  it  from  the  trees. 
Then  sow  the  manure  in  the  furrow  at  the  rate  of  six 
hundred  pounds  of  guano,  and  a  thousand  of  superphos- 
phate, to  the  acre.  Now  reverse  the  order,  and  run  a 
furrow  on  the  outside  of  the  first,  throwing  it  to  the  rows. 
In  this  way  the  manure  will  be  thoroughly  distributed, 
deposited  exactly  where  wanted,  and  well  covered  up. 
The  subsequent  rapid  growth  of  the  trees  should  soon 
give  evidence  of  its  powerful  eifect. 

When  the  trees  have  attained  such  a  growth  as  to  shade 
the  ground  between  the  rows  sufficiently  to  keep  it  moist, 
all  cultivation  should  cease.  Should  weeds  appear  in  the 
rows  after  this,  they  must  be  pulled  up ;  but  this  will 
seldom  occur  unless  foul  manure  has  been  used. 

It  sometimes  happens  that,  through  the  inexperience  or 
carelessness  of  the  seed  planters,  the  young  trees  come  up 
too  thick ;  when  this  occurs,  the  superfluous  ones  should 
be  pulled  up. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

BUDS. 

These  should  also  be  selected  with  great  care.  Hund- 
reds of  planters  have  been  sorely  disappointed  when  their 
trees  came  into  bearing  to  see  them  turn  out  a  diiferent 
variety  from  what  they  had  bought  them  for.  Worse 
still,  sometimes  they  buy  and  pay  for  the  choicest  bud- 


BUDS.  45 

ded  fruit,  but  when  the  trees  begin  to  bear,  they  produce, 
instead,  small,  knotty,  natural  peaches.  This,  in  most 
cases,  occurs  through  carelessness.  As  the  natural  fruit 
is  nearly  worthless,  and  wholly  unmarketable,  the  loss  to 
the  planter  is  very  great ;  and,  as  several  years  must 
elapse  before  a  change  can  be  eifected,  it  is  almost  irrepar- 
able. The  strictest  care  should,  therefore,  be  exercised  in 
selecting  buds.  They  must  be  true  to  kind  /  that  is,  they 
must  certainly  be  of  the  variety  intended.  A  mistake  in 
this  regard  would  destroy  the  reputation  of  a  nursery- 
man, and  would  be  a  sore  disappointment  to  the  planter. 
The  best  way  to  insure  buds  of  the  kind  wanted,  is,  to  get 
them  out  of  the  nursery  of  some  well-known  nurseryman, 
whose  character,  as  such,  is  beyond  question  for  skill,  care, 
and  honesty,  and  who  has  been  long  in  the  business.  This 
last  will  have  given  him  that  extraordinary  caution  which 
is  only  the  result  of  experience  and  previous  disappoint- 
ment. Even  with  all  this  circumspection,  it  is  possible  to 
fail ;  but  failure  will  be  rare.  These  disappointments  oc- 
cur from  various  causes.  Marks  may  be  lost  or  mis- 
placed in  the  rows,  or  the  labels,  when  the  trees  are  sent 
away  from  the  nursery.  A  mistake  once  made  is  very 
likely  to  be  multiplied  and  perpetuated,  because  subse- 
quent budders  rely  upon  what  they  or  their  neighbors 
have  purchased  as  a  particular  variety,  and  they  cannot 
do  otherwise  unless  they  can  wait  until  the  trees  have 
borne,  and  thus  test  the  matter  for  themselves.  If  access 
cannot  be  had  to  a  nursery,  the  next  best  resource  is  a 
young  orchard  of  the  first  or  second  year's  growth.  The 
buds  themselves  must  be  of  the  current  season. 

Some  prefer  to  take  buds  from  bearing  orchards,  as 
they  think  it  insures  the  kind.  Where  the  quantity  of 
buds  wanted  is  small,  and  the  trees  are  marked  and  noted 
while  in  fruit,  this  may  do  very  well.  But  large  nursery- 
men will  seldom  find  enough  such  buds  convenient ;  they 
will  be  difficult  and  tedious  to  procure ;  as  a  rule,  not  so 


46  PEACH    CULTURE. 

fresh  and  thrifty ;  many  of  them  will  be  fruit,  instead  of 
leaf,  buds  ;  and,  after  all,  the  risk  of  obtaining  the  true 
variety  will  be  found  nearly,  if  not  altogether,  as  great. 
For  ourselves,  in  view  of  all  the  circumstances,  we 
prefer  buds  taken  from  a  thrifty,  vigorous,  young 
nursery. 

The  buds  must  be  healthy.     It  is  unnecessary  to 
dwell  on  this  point.     No  prudent  or  honest  man, 
with  the  least  regard  for  his  own  interest  or  char- 
acter,  or  his    neighbors'    rights,  would  knowingly 
bud  from  a  diseased  stock.     A  trader  in  plague-in- 
fested clothes  or  cattle  is  not  so  culpable  or  detestable. 
They   must   be    leaf,  not   fruit,  buds.     All   ex- 
perienced cultivators  know  that  there  are  two  kinds 
of  buds  formed  on  the  twigs,  and  that  one  of  these 
produces  leaves  and  the  other  fruit  the  next  season. 
Now,  what  the  budder  wants  is  leaves  and  wood, 
not  blossoms  and  fruit,  and  he  must,  therefore,  be 
careful    to    get   the  right  kind.     The  difference  is 
easily  observed ;  but  an  inexperienced  man  should 
not  trust  himself,  but  rather  employ  an  experienced 
one  to  make  the  selections  for  him.     If  he  is  com- 
pelled to  do   it  himself,  he  must  remember    that 
fruit  buds  are  rounder,  softer,  and  more  open  than 
lg>  >  the   leaf   buds.      The  difference   between   the   two 
kinds  of  buds  is  shown  in  fig.  3.     The  small  pointed  buds 
are  leaf  buds,  the  rounder  ones  blossom  buds,  which  fre- 
quently occur  in  pairs,  with  a  leaf-bud  between  them. 


TWIGS.  47 


TWIGS. 

When  the  nursery  or  orchard  is  selected,  the  buds  are 
taken  off  in  this  way :  With  a  sharp  knife  cut  off  the 
strongest  twigs  of  the  present  season's  growth,  about  two 
inches  from  the  main  stem,  or,  if  you  prefer  it,  close  to 
the  stem.  Throw  them  together  in  little  bundles,  and 
when  you  have  as  many  as  you  expect  to  use  in  the  suc- 
ceeding half  day,  stop,  as  under  ordinary  circumstances, 
no  more  than  can  be  used  in  half  a  day  should  be  taken 
off.  They  are  injured  by  being  kept  long.  Now,  gather 
up  your  bundles,  throw  them  in  a  heap,  arid  saturate  them 
with  cold  water.  This  will  keep  them  from  shrinking, 
and  preserve  them  fresh  and  green.  But  do  not  stop 
here.  Take  your  knife,  which  should  be  as  sharp  as  a 
razor,  and  cut  away  every  leaf  at  the  distance  of  about 
half  an  inch  from  the  twig.  This  stops  the  flow  of  the 
sap  to  the  leaf,  and  keeps  it  in  the  bud,  thus  preserve  ng 
its  freshness  for  a  longer  time.  The  buds  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  twig  are  generally  smaller,  and  not  so  well 
formed  as  those  further  up.  For  this  reason  it  is  advisa- 
ble to  reject  two  or  three  inches  of  the  lower  end  ;  and 
if  you  have  not  already  done  it  by  cutting  the  twig  from 
the  main  stock  at  that  distance,  do  it  now  by  cutting  the 
leaves  off  smooth  instead  of  leaving  a  half-inch  stem,  aa 
above  mentioned.  On  the  other  hand,  the  top  buds 
sometimes  swell  too  much,  and  for  this  reason  the  two  or 
three  nearest  the  top  should  be  cut  away  in  the  same 
manner  as  those  at  the  bottom.  In  this  way  the  best 
buds  only  will  be  retained,  and  the  success  of  the  bud- 
ding greatly  promoted.  When  the  buds,  or  rather  the 
twigs,  are  thus  prepared,  they  should  be  placed,  buts 
down,  in  a  vessel,  usually  a  bucket  of  water,  and  cover- 
ed with  a  damp  cloth.  They  now  go  into  the  hands  of 
the  budder  for  immediate  use. 


48  PEACH    CULTURE. 


BUDS    EXPRESSED. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  nurserymen,  but  more  fre- 
quently amateurs,  wish  to  send  buds  of  some  rare  variety 
by  mail  or  express,  and,  by  proper  care  in  packing,  they 
may  be  safely  sent  hundreds  of  miles  in  this  way. 

When  this  is  desired,  the  buds  should,  in  the  first  place, 
be  taken  off*  and  prepared  in  the  manner  above  described. 
If  the  distance  is  not  more  than  two  hundred  miles,  and 
on  a  railroad,  a  wrapping  of  moist  moss,  with  an  outer 
coat  of  thick  cloth,  will  be  quite  sufficient.  But  if  the 
distance  be  great,  the  best  way  is  to  procure  a  hollow  tin 
cylinder,  air-tight,  and  open  at  one  end,  and  place  the 
buds  in  this,  filling  the  vessel  about  half  full  of  buds, 
then  fill  the  interstices  with  fine,  clean  sawdust,  saturated 
with  water.  Now  put  on  the  cap,  and  either  solder  or 
seal  it  on,  so  that  it  will  be  air-tight.  In  this  way  buds 
may  be  transported  five  hundred  miles  or  more.  The 
vessel  should  never  be  filled  full,  as  the  buds  swell  in  the 
DOX,  and  cannot  be  taken  out  without  injury. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

BUDDING. 

The  Budding  is  done  in  August  and  September.  The 
length  of  the  season  varies,  being  shorter  in  a  northern 
than  in  a  southern  latitude.  On  the  Delaware  Peninsula 
it  is  about  six  weeks  from  and  after  the  first  of  August, 
But  sometimes  it  commences  sooner,  and  is  prolonged 
even  into  October.  As  a  rule,  budding  may  begin  as 
soon  as  the  buds  are  large  enough  to  cut  from  the  twig, 
and  continue  as  long  as  the  sap  flows  freely.  Young, 


BUDDING.  49 

vigorous  trees  keep  green  a  long  time,  and  as  long  as  the 
leaves  are  green  and  the  sap  flowing,  may  be  budded. 
But  it  is  not  safe  to  put  it  off  to  the  last  of  the  season, 
as  a  sudden  frost  or  dry  cold  spell  may  kill  the  leaves 
or  chill  the  sap,  and  thus  prevent  the  bud  from  forming  a 
complete  union  with  the  stem  in  the  fall,  and  if  not  then 
formed,  it  never  will  be  afterwards.  It  is  not  best  to 
commence  too  early,  either,  for  if  the  season  is  warm  and 
wet,  or  much  protracted,  there  is  danger  that  the  young 
buds  will  start  to  grow,  and  either  burst  off  or  spend  their 
strength  too  soon.  Buds  that  start  in  the  fall  are  not 
likely  to  do  so  well. 

BUDDERS. 

Budding  is  a  trade ;  and  in  no  department  of  agricul- 
ture is  skilled  labor  more  essential  than  in  this.  The 
nurseryman  cannot  be  too  careful  in  the  selection  of  his 
budders.  Experimenters,  novices,  bunglers,  are  all  to  be 
rejected  without  hesitation.  They  are  dear  at  any  price. 
Too  dear  if  they  would  work  for  nothing  and  board  them- 
selves. The  reason  is  obvious.  If  the  buds  do  not  take, 
you  lose  not  only  the  budders'  wages,  but  you  lose  the 
trees  themselves.  They  can  only  be  successfully  budded 
the  first  year  of  their  growth,  and  if  you  fail  then,  you 
fail  altogether.  Hence  the  importance  of  securing  skilled 
labor  in  this  department — expert  budders,  who  will  do 
their  work  well.  In  almost  every  community  there  are 
pretenders,  who,  on  all  occasions,  are  ready  to  offer  their 
services  to  do  anything  and  everything  that  may  be  re- 
quired. They  make  loud  professions  of  their  knowledge 
and  ability  to  give  satisfaction.  In  nine  cases  out  of 
ten  they  are  quacks,  without  knowledge,  experience, 
or  skill,  and  no  man  who  understands  his  business  will 
employ  or  countenance  them.  The  reason  that  good 
ones  are  so  rare  is,  that,  except  in  a  few  localities,  peach 
4 


50  PEACH   CULTURE. 

growing  is  a  recent  enterprise,  and  there  has  not  been 
time  to  raise  up  and  instruct  men  for  this  special  depart- 
ment. It  is  believed  that  in  New  Jersey  alone,  where 
peaches  have  long  been  a  staple,  can  intelligent  and  skill- 
ful budders  be  found  in  sufficient  numbers  to  bud  large 
nurseries  in  proper  season.  We  know  that  in  Delaware, 
where  peach  growing  has  been  prosecuted  with  great 
energy  and  success  for  the  last  twenty-five  years,  bud- 
ders are  still  imported  from  New  Jersey,  and  their  skill 
and  speed  are  of  the  first  order. 

They  are  usually  paid  by  the  thousand,  and  at  the  rate 
of  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  or  three  dollars,  and  board. 
This  does  not  include  auxiliary  help,  which  is  an  addi- 
tional charge  of  about  equal  amount. 

TIES. 

These  are  made  of  common  bass-wood  matting,  such  as 
usually  comes  around  furniture  and  other  articles,  and  the 
planter  or  nurseryman  can  often  procure  all  he  wants, 
second-hand,  at  the  stores  for  a  trifle,  and  this  does  very 
well.  If  not,  he  can  get  it  new  at  any  of  the  seed  or  agri- 
cultural stores  in  the  cities  or  large  towns  for  a  small  sum. 
When  received,  it  should  be  cut  into  strands  about  a  foot 
long,  and  ripped  into  pieces  about  half  an  inch  wide.  It 
should  be  then  tied,  with  a  few  pieces  of  the  same,  into 
hanks  or  bundles  of  one,  two,  three,  four,  or  five  hundred 
strands,  as  the  tyer  may  desire. 

BUDS. 

The  buds,  as  before  stated,  are  procured  from  budded 
nurseries  or  young  orchards.  In  the  former,  the  young 
trees  are  always  full  of  thrifty,  vigorous  laterals,  and 
from  these  the  buds  are  taken.  The  best  size  for  these 
twigs  is  the  thickness  of  a  full-sized  goose-quill. 


BUDDING. 


51 


Each  budder  is  furnished  with  two  assistants.  Intelli- 
gent lads,  of  ten  or  twelve  years,  make  very  good  assist- 
ants after  a  little  instruction  and  experience.  One  is 
called  a  stripper,  the  other  a  tyer.  The  stripper  goes  be- 
fore the  budder,  and  strips  or  rubs  off  all  the  leaves  and 
small  shoots  of  the  trees  for  a  distance  of  six  inches  above 
the  ground.  Sometimes,  especially  late  in  the  season, 
the  shoots  have  to  be  cut  off  with  a  sharp  knife.  This 
clears  the  way  for  the  budder,  and  enables  him  to 
proceed  with  ease  and  dispatch.  The  budding  now  com- 
mences thus :  The  budder  is  provided  with  a  very  sharp 
instrument,  called  a  budding-knife  (fig.  4),  made  espe- 
cially for  the  pur- 
pose ;  with  this  he 

Fig.  4.— BUDDING-KNIFE.  makes    a   vertical 

incision  in  the  young  tree,  about  an  inch  and  a  half  long, 
and  a  transverse  one  at  right  angles  with  it.  It  is 
made  with  great  rapidity,  and  in  this  manner :  The  knife 
is  inserted  at  the  lower  end  of  the  slit,  drawn  up  the  de- 
sired length,  then,  with  a  slight  twist  of  the  hand,  right 
and  left,  the  transverse  cut  is  made,  and  the  edges  of  the 
bark  at  the  same  time  loos- 
ened so  as  to  readily  admit 
the  bud,  as  in  fig.  5.  These 
incisions  are  clear  through 
the  bark,  and  slightly  into 
the  wood.  The  bud  (fig.  6) 
is  now  cut  from  the  cion 
and  immediately  inserted,  pill  j 
as  shown  in  fig.  7.  The 
budder  has  now  done  his 
part,  and  proceeds  to  an- 
other, and  SO  on,  with  Fig.  5.— INCISION.  Fig.  6.— BUD. 
great  rapidity.  Some  ex-  Fi£-  1-~ BUD  INSERTED. 

pert  budders  will  bud  two  thousand  five  hundred  trees 
in  a  day ;  fifteen  hundred,  for  a  skillful  hand,  is  not  re- 


52 


PEACH    CULTURE. 


garded  as  a  great  day's  work ;  and  some  have  even  ex- 
ceeded three  thousand,  so  expert  do  they  become  by 
practice.  Nor  is  it  poorly  done ;  on  the  contrary,  we 
have  always  found  the  speediest  hands  the  most  successful 
in  obtaining  ndhesion  and  growth. 

The  tyer  now  follows  with  his  hank  of  ties,  and,  taking 
one  between  his  thumb  and  fingers,  he  places  the  center 
of  it  firmly  just  below  the  eye  of  the  bud, 
passes  the  ends  rapidly  round  the  stock  in  op- 
posite directions,  brings  them  back  above  the 
eye  of  the  bud,  and  ties  them.  Figure  8 
shows  the  bud  as  tied  in  this  manner.  Another 
method  is  for  the  tyer  to  place  himself  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  bud,  but  place  the  tie  as 
before,  pass  it  clear  round,  and  back  to  the  side 
opposite  the  bud,  and  tie  it  there,  as  in  fig.  9. 
By  this  method  the  tie  makes  a  half  circle  more 
than  by  the  former,  and  the  knot,  instead  of  be- 
ing over  the  bud,  is  opposite  to  it.  Some  prefer  this,  as  they 
insist  that  it  holds  the  bud  more  firmly,  and  that  when 
the  ties  have  to  be  cut,  there  will  be  less  risk  to  the  bud. 
But  if  the  tie  be  good,  and  the  knot  skill- 
fully made,  the  bud  will  be  well  held  in 
position  by  the  first  method.  Indeed,  we 
are  not  sure  but  that  it  will  be  quite  as  firmly 
held  as  by  the  second,  inasmuch  as  the  knot 
will  be  over  the  bud,  and  thus  bear 
stronger  upon  it,  affording  greater  protec- 
tion and  support ;  and,  as  for  the  cutting, 
this  can  and  should  be  done  at  the  op- 
posite side  from  the  bud,  in  either  case. 
Besides,  when  the  tyer  is  on  the  same  side  F'g-  9. 
as  the  bud,  he  can  see  exactly  where  to  place  the  tie, 
which  he  cannot  always  do  in  the  other  method.  The 
budding  is  now  complete. 


Fig.  8. 


BUDDING.  53 

SLIPPING  AND  QUILLING. 

Slipping  the  bud  or  bark  is  a  very  common  expression 
among  budders.  It  occurs  in  the  act  of  taking  the  bud 
from  the  stem.  In  cutting  the  bud  from  the  stem  a  small 
piece  of  the  wood  is  usually  removed  with  it.  But  when 
the  bark  is  flowing  freely,  budders  only  cut  through  the 
bark,  and  then,  with  their  thumb  and  finger,  peel  or  slip 
the  bud,  without  any  wood,  from  the  stem,  and  this-  is 
called  slipping  the  bud.  It  is  speedier  than  the  other 
method,  and  quite  as  good,  as  there  is  no  need  whatever 
of  any  wood  with  the  bud. 

Quitting,  on  the  other  hand,  occurs  when  the  flow  of 
sap  is  deficient,  and  the  bark  begins  to  tighten  on  the 
stock  that  is  budded.  The  budder  then  provides  himself 
with  a  goose-quill,  cuts  away  about  half  the  barrel  as  for  a 
pen,  but,  instead  of  pointing  the  side  he  retains,  only 
rounds  it  off  in  the  form  of  a  semicircle.  This  he  inserts 
in  the  bark  of  the  stock,  at  the  intersection  of  the  verti- 
cal and  transverse  incisions,  heretofore  described,  and 
slips  it  down  between  the  bark  and  the  wood  a  sufficient 
distance  to  admit  the  bud.  And  this  is  call  quitting.  In- 
stead, however,  of  using  a  quill,  the  budding-knife  is 
now  provided  with  a  horn  or  bone  point  on  the  opposite 
end  to  the  knife  proper,  which  answers  the  purpose  of 
the  old  quill,  and  is  more  convenient. 

When  the  rows  run  north  and  south,  the  buds  should 
be  put  in  on  the  west  side ;  when  east*  and  west,  on  the 
north  side.  This  will  enable  them  the  better  to  resist  the 
north  and  west  winds  the  next  season,  when  the  young, 
tender  budded  stock,  full  of  sap  and  foliage,  is  easily 
parted  from  the  stem,  but  capable  of  much  greater  re- 
sistance when  the  pressure  is  towards  the  stem,  than/rom 
it.  The  proper  place  to  insert  the  bud  is  about  one  and  a 
half  or  two  inches  above  the  ground;  the  nearer  the 
ground  the  better. 


54  PEACH   CULTURE. 


MARKING. 

This  is  an  important,  although  an  oft-neglected  or  ill- 
performed,  part  of  the  work.  On  it,  however,  depends 
the  reputation  of  the  nurseryman  as  well  as  the  success 
and  satisfaction  of  the  planter.  Every  precaution  should 
be  taken  to  insure  complete  certainty  of  the  kind  in  each 
row.  Having  had  but  one  kind  of  buds  on  hand  at  a 
time,  and  after  throwing  away  whatever  of  that  kind  may 
be  left,  when  all  wanted  have  been  budded,  the  next  thing 
is  to  properly  and  permanently  distinguish  and  designate 
the  particular  variety  in  each  row.  We  know  of  no  bet- 
ter way  than  this :  Procure  at  the  saw-mill  or  lumber-yard 
a  sufficient  quantity  of  what  is  commonly  called  shin- 
gling lath, — oak  is  best,  but  any  kind  of  wood  will  do. 
The  stakes  are  to  be  three  feet  long,  and  the  lath,  for  the 
sake  of  economy,  should  be  twelve  feet  long,  which  is  a 
very  common  and  desirable  length.  It  should  be  from 
two  and  a  half  to  three  inches  wide,  and  from  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  to  one  inch  thick,  but  these  dimen- 
sions are  not  essential.  When  the  lath  has  been  sawed 
into  pieces  three  feet  long,  and  pointed  at  one  end  so  as 
to  be  easily  driven  into  the  ground,  one  of  the  faces  of 
each  piece  should  be  either  shaved  or  planed  smooth,  a 
distance  of  one  foot  from  the  top,  in  order  that  it  may  be 
the  better  marked  at  the  proper  time.  The  stakes  may 
now  be  marked  altogether,  or  they  may  be  marked  as 
they  are  set  in  the  ground.  We  prefer  the  former, 
for  the  reason  that  it  can  be  the  better  done,  and  may 
then  be  done  by  one  man ;  and  the  proprietor  himself, 
or  a  reliable  overseer,  should  attend  to  this  in  person, 
and  not  leave  it  to  careless  or  uninterested  persons.  It 
may  be  well  done  with  red  lead,  or  a  heavy  black  lead 
pencil,  or  with  paint  or  printers'  ink.  The  aim  should 
be  to  obtain  a  clear  and  permanent  mark ;  one  that  can 
be  easily  read,  and  one  that  will  not  fade. 


55 

The  mark  itself  may  be  of  two  kinds.  The  one  is  by 
writing  the  names  of  the  variety  in  large,  plain  letters  on 
the  stake,  and  the  other  is  by  writing  numbers  thereon 
in  the  same  way ;  and  when  this  is  done,  by  entering  the 
numbers  in  a  book,  with  the  varieties  opposite.  By  the 
first  method  the  variety  can  always  be  told  on  the  ground 
by  anybody  by  simple  inspection ;  by  the  second,  no  one 
can  tell  except  he  who  has  the  book,  nor  can  he  often  do 
it  without  the  book.  Some  prefer  one  method,  and  some 
another,  and  for  various  reasons.  We  advise  a  combina- 
tion of  both.  First,  let  the  stakes  be  distinctly  marked 
with  the  name  of  the  variety,  then  let  the  first  row  be 
marked  in  a  book  No.  1,  with  the  variety  in  it,  and  so 
on  of  the  rest.  In  this  way,  if  the  stakes  should  be  lost, 
or  removed,  the  nurseryman  would  still  have  the  means 
of  telling  what  variety  he  had  in  every  row,  and  would 
not  be  entirely  dependent  on  either  the  stakes  or  numbers. 

The  first  stake  should  be  set  at  the  south  end  of  the 
west  row,  where  the  ro\vs  run  north  and  south,  and  at 
the  west  end  of  the  north  row,  where  they  run  east  and 
west;  and  the  rows  should  be  numbered  from  west  to 
east,  or  from  north  to  south. 

As  soon  as  the  first  bud  is  inserted,  the  first  stake 
should  be  set  with  name  or  number  facing  towards  the 
row,  and  not  from  it,  as  is  in  some  places  the  fashion, 
and  when  budding  of  that  variety  ends,  another  stake, 
with  the  isame  variety  and  number,  should  be  immediately 
set  beyond  the  last  bud,  and  facing  the  first  stake.  And 
now  another  stake,  with  the  name  or  number  of  the  next 
variety,  should  be  set  with  its  back  to  the  back  of  the 
last  stake,  if  the  varieties  end  anywhere  except  at  the 
end  of  the  row.  This  method  should  be  repeated  with 
each  variety  until  all  are  budded,  and  if  this  be  done,  it  will 
be  almost  impossible  to  confuse  the  varieties.  A  flat  stake, 
without  name  or  number,  may  be  driven  between  the  two 


56  pfiAos  cur/tuKf:. 


other  stakes  for  greater  caution,  in  case  of  the  fading  of 
the  marks  or  accident  to  the  stakes  themselves. 

Whenever  convenient,  it  is  advisable  never  to  bud  a 
row  with,  more  than  one  variety. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
CULTIVATION  OF  BUDS. 

In  ten  days  or  two  weeks  after  budding,  the  buds  should 
be  examined.  Those  that  have  taken  will  have  a  lively 
green  appearance,  especially  towards  the  center,  while 
those  that  have  not  taken  will  be  shrunken  at  the  edges, 
and  of  a  brown  hue.  They  will  also  have  shed  the  leaf- 
stem,  while  those  that  have  not  taken  will  still  retain  it. 
Ninety  per  cent  should  be  living,  and  where  the  condi- 
tions have  been  favorable,  nearly  all.  "When  the  time  is 
proper,  the  buds  fresh,  and  the  budder  skillful,  there  is 
no  necessity  for  losing  a  single  bud ;  and  very  few,  in 
fact,  are  lost.  If  it  is  discovered,  in  this  examination, 
that  some  have  not  taken,  and  the  season  is  not  too  far 
advanced,  they  may  be  re-budded. 

Another  object  of  the  examination  is,  to  see  if  the  ties 
are  cutting  the  buds.  This  occurs  when  the  tie  has  been 
tightly  drawn,  the  union  prompt  and  complete,  and  the 
growth  rapid.  The  tie  should  now  be  cut.  This  is  ef- 
fected by  a  single  stroke  of  a  sharp  knife,  drawn  across 
the  tie  on  the  opposite  side  to  the  bud,  and  at  an  acute 
angle  with  the  stem  of  the  young  tree.  If  the  nursery- 
man prefers  to  loosen  the  tie,  he  will  draw  the  loop  of  the 
knot  when  it  has  been  so  tied  ;  if  tied  in  a  hard  knot,  he 
will  have  to  undo  the  last  draw.  This  is  tedious,  and 


CULTIVATION    OF   BUDS.  57 

large  growers  very  seldom  resort  to  it ;  when  it  is  ex- 
pected to  be  used,  the  knots  should  all  be  loop.  But  the 
process  of  budding  peaches  is  so  easy  when  done  by  skil- 
ful hands,  and  in  proper  season,  that  a  slight  band,  and  that 
only  for  a  short  time,  is  all  that  is  necessary.  We  have 
even  known  them  to  take  and  do  well  without  being  tied 
at  all.  To  neglect  this  precaution,  however,  is  neither  ju- 
dicious nor  safe.  But  when  the  work  is  done  late,  or 
any  other  unfavorable  incident  intervenes,  the  'tying  is 
highly  important,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  is  done 
may  greatly  tend  to  insure  success  or  promote  defeat. 

It  may  be  found,  on  examination,  that  some  of  the 
bands  have  been  burst.  This  occurs  where  the  band  has 
been  weak  and  the  growth  rapid.  In  such  cases  no 
further  attention  is  necessary.  The  buds  will  take  care 
of  themselves.  In  some  cases  the  bands  will  be  found  to 
have  cut  into  the  bark,  owing  to  their  strength  and  tight- 
ness, and  the  rapid  growth  of  the  bud.  Here  the  bands 
should  be  immediately  cut. 

This  examination  should  be  repeated  ten  days  or  a  fort- 
night later,  unless  further  growth  has  been  checked  by 
early  frosts  or  cold,  dry  weather,  when  it  will  be  un- 
necessary. The  treatment  should  be  precisely  as  before, 
with  this  addition ;  that  where  it  is  apparent  the  bud 
has  taken  well,  the  band  should  be  cut ;  but  when  this  is 
doubtful,  or  it  is  plain  the  union  is  slight,  the  bands  should 
be  left  until  the  sap  begins  to  flow  the  next  spring,  as 
the  freezing  and  thawing  of  winter  "  greatly  tends  to 
throw  off  buds  that  are  not  fairly  joined  to  the  stems,  and 
the  band  is  of  great  service  in  maintaining  their  close 
union  with  them.  Nothing  more  is  required  until  the 
next  spring,  when  all  remaining  bands  should  be  cut  oa 
the  first  start  of  the  sap. 

In  the  spring,  and  as  soon  as  the  sap  begins  to  flow 
freely,  the  natural  stocks  must  be  cut  away  just  above 
the  bud.  It  must  not  be  done  too  early,  as  there  is  dan- 


6$  PEACH    CULTURE. 

ger  then  that  the  warm  sun  in  the  daytime,  and  the  cold 
frosts  at  night  will  so  dry  and  harden  the  stump,  as  to 
obstruct  the  flow  of  sap  to  the  top  altogether,  and  thus 
kill  the  bud  by  drying  up  the  bark  and  cutting  oif  its 
aliment.  This  sometimes  happens,  and  is  more  likely  to 
occur  in  large,  thrifty  stocks  than  small  ones. 

Neither  must  it  be  deferred  too  long  ;  as,  in  that  case, 
the  sap  will  be  drawn  rapidly  from  the  roots  by  the  large 
surface  of  the  limbs  and  buds ;  a  direct  current  will  be 
established  between  the  root  and  the  top ;  the  bud,  which 
is  one  side  of  this  current,  will  receive  but  little,  and  will 
be  retarded  in  its  after  growth,  if  not  dwarfed  altogether. 
Besides,  when  cut  late,  numerous  suckers  will  be  thrown 
up  from  the  stem,  and  sometimes  even  from  the  roots. 

If  the  cutting  is  done  at  the  proper  time,  just  after  the 
sap  begins  to  flow  continuously,  the  bud  will  draw  nutri- 
ment immediately  from  the  root,  and  make  very  rapid 
and  satisfactory  growth. 

THE    CUTTING. 

Cutting  is  done  in  this  way.  Take  a  common  bill-hooked 
pruning-knife,  as  sharp  as  it  can  be  made.  It  should  cut 
as  smooth  as  a  razor.  A  dull  knife  is  abominable,  but  a 
sharp  one  the  delight  of  the  operator.  It  should  be 
sharp,  because  the  work  can  be  done  faster,  better,  and 
with  more  satisfaction.  If  it  is  dull,  there  is  more  or  less 
danger  of  loosening  the  bark  around  the  edge  of  the 
stump,  and  thus  endangering  the  life  or  thrift  of  the  bud. 

The  operator,  being  provided  with  his  sharp  knife,  be- 
gins at  the  south  end  of  the  west  row,  or  the  west  end 
of  the  south  row,  according  as  they  have  been  planted 
north  and  south,  or  east  and  west.  Placing  himself  on 
the  same  side  of  the  row  with  the  bud,  he  seizes  the  first 
tree,  bends  it  slightly  towards  him,  which  facilitates  the 
excision,  and  inserting  the  edge  of  the  knife  on  a  level 


CULTIVATION    OF   BUBS.  59 

with,  or  slightly  below  the  lower  end  of  the  bud,  draws 
it,  with  a  rapid  motion  towards  him,  in  an  upward  di- 
rection, and  at  an  angle  of  about  forty-five  or  fifty  de- 
grees, leaving  from  a  quarter  to  a  half  inch  of  the  stump 
above  the  bud.  This  is  a  very  speedy  work,  a  single 
good  hand  being  able  to  dispatch  five  thousand  in  a  day. 
As  soon  as  it  is  clearly  ascertained  what  buds  have  not 
taken,  the  stumps  should  be  immediately  taken  up  with 
the  spade.  If  this  is  not  done,  they  will  send  up  suckers 
which  will  grow  rapidly,  take  the  room  and  aliment  that 
should  be  reserved  solely  for  the  young  buds  that  have 
taken,  and  interfere  with  the  cultivation.  Besides  this, 
if  great  care  be  not  exercised  in  taking  up  the  trees  in 
the  fall  or  spring  succeeding,  they  will  be  mixed  in  with 
the  stock  of  budded  ones,  and  thus  destroy  its  purity,  and 
injure  both  its  sale,  and  the  reputation  of  the  vender.  . 

RUBBING  OFF  BUDS. 

In  two  or  three  weeks  after  the  topping  takes  place,  and 
even  sooner,  if  the  growth  has  been  rapid,  all  the  natural 
buds  below  the  cion  must  be  rubbed  off.  This  is  readily 
done  with  the  hand,  if  performed  in  proper  season.  The 
process  is  repeated  a  week  or  two  later,  as  the  supera- 
bundant sap  is  continually  forcing  out  new  ones.  The 
object  of  rubbing  is  to  destroy  the  natural,  and  stimulate 
the  artificial,  buds.  At  first  the  union  is  so  slight  and 
the  flow  of  sap  so  abundant,  that  there  is  a  strong  and 
constant  effort  of  nature  to  furnish  new  stems  to  sup- 
ply the  loss  of  the  one  cut  away ;  but  as  the  leaves  of 
the  inserted  bud  begin  to  develop  themselves,  and  the 
bud  itself  to  assume  the  form  of  the  exscinded  stem,  this 
effort  is  directed  into  the  new  channel,  and  the  tendency  to 
throw  off  new  shoots  is  greatly  weakened.  Two  or  three 
rubbings  will  generally  be  sufficient,  but,  from  the  tardy 
growth  of  the  artificial  bud,  or  the  great  strength  of  the 


60  PEACH    CULTURE. 

roots,  more  may  sometimes  be  necessary.  The  observant 
planter  will  be  able  to  decide  this  without  difficulty ;  and 
to  the  practical  nurseryman,  further  directions  on  this 
point  would  be  superfluous.  The  object  of  leaving  a 
natural  bud  above  the  artificial  one  is,  to  assist  in  carry- 
ing the  sap  above  the  latter ;  but  after  the  first  rubbing 
this  will  hardly  be  needful ;  and  at  the  second  operation, 
all  natural  buds  may,  as  a  general  rule,  be  removed. 

TILLAGE. 

The  ground  should  be  kept  free  from  weeds,  and  loose 
and  friable.  This  can  usually  be  accomplished  by  running 
the  cultivator  up  and  down  between  the  rows.  The  judg- 
ment of  the  planter  will  direct  him  how  frequently  this 
should  be  done.  If  the  ground  has  been  such  as  we  have 
advised,  two  or  three  times  during  the  entire  season,  may 
be  sufficient ;  but  one  thing  we  will  say,  it  cannot  be  done 
too  often  if  the  cultivator  looks  only  to  the  growth  of 
the  trees ;  and  were  we  to  give  one  general  rule,  we 
should  say  once  a  week,  throughout  the  season. 

MANURE. 

If  the  growth  of  the  tree  is  not  satisfactory,  it  may  be 
promoted  greatly  by  stimulating  manures,  either  liquid  or 
solid.  Liquid  may  be  made  by  dissolving  guano  or  hen 
manure  in  an  old  barrel  or  hogshead,  and  applied,  by  a 
common  watering-pot  directly  to  the  neck  of  the  tree. 
Guano  or  other  concentrated  manures  can  be  applied 
with  almost  immediate  effect  by  running  a  furrow  on 
each  side  with  a  light  plow,  very  near  the  row,  throwing 
it  from  the  row,  then  depositing  the  guano  with  the  hand 
or  hand-drill  in  the  bottom  of  the  furrow.  Cover  it  by 
running  another  furrow  around  the  row,  throwing  the 
furrow  this  time  towards  the  row.  In  this  way  the  young 
trees  will  reap  nearly  the  entire  benefit  of  the  manure 
during  the  single  season  of  their  growth  in  the  nursery. 


CULTIVATION    OF    BUDS.  61 

The  quantity  of  guano  will  vary  according  as  the  quality 
of  the  ground  or  character  of  the  season  varies,  or  as  the 
desire  to  have  larger  or  smaller  trees  varies.  Six  hundred 
pounds  per  acre  will  be  sufficient  in  almost  any  instance, 
and  sometimes  too  much. 

PRUNING. 

As  the  young  tree  usually  forms  a  single  upright, 
straight,  and  handsome  stem,  pruning  is  not  essential. 
Still  it  may  sometimes  be  done  with  advantage.  Espe- 
cially will  this  be  the  case  where  the  distance  between 
the  trees  has  been  increased  by  failure  of  buds  or  otlier 
cause,  thus  giving  them  a  tendency  to  throw  out  lateral 
branches ;  and  if  not  done  too  early,  it  will  generally  be 
beneficial.  The  advantage  consists  in  confining  the  sap 
within  narrower  bounds,  and  thus  increasing  the  size 
and  height  of  the  main  stem,  and  also  causing  the  wood 
to  mature  earlier.  The  last  is  of  considerable  importance, 
especially  in  northern  localities,  where  it  is  often  difficult 
to  obtain  wood  that  will  stand  the  next  winter's  freezing. 

The  pruning  may  be  done  any  time  between  the  middle 
of  July  and  the  middle  of  September,  and  will  vary  a 
little  in  different  latitudes.  If  done  before  the  middle  of 
July,  the  succeeding  growth  will  be  so  great  as  to  par- 
tially neutralize  the  effect ;  while,  if  deferred  beyond  the 
middle  of  September,  it  will  be  so  little  as  to  be  of  small 
advantage.  But,  as  before  remarked,  much  will  depend 
upon  the  particular  latitude,  and  something  will  depend 
upon  topographical  and  otlier  specific  causes.  In  pruning, 
it  is  not  generally  advisable  to  cut  away  the  limbs  more 
than  to  the  height  of  two  feet  from  the  ground.  If  the 
trees  are  large,  three  feet  may  not  be  too  much  ;  and  if 
small,  one  may  be  enough.  From  one-third  to  one-half 
the  length  of  the  tree  will  usually  afford  a  safe  rule  ;  one- 
third,  if  the  pruning  be  done  early  in  the  season,  and 
one-half,  if  late. 


62  PEACH    CULTURE. 

CHAPTER    X. 

TAKING  UP  AND  SENDING  TO  MARKET. 

Peach  trees  must  be  set  in  the  orchard  at  one  year's 
growth  from  the  bud,  that  is,  the  fall  or  spring  after  the 
natural  stock  has  been  cut  off,  as  described  in  the  last 
chapter.  The  progressive  steps  are  these.  Make  the 
seed-bed  in  the  fall,  the  next  spring  plant  the  seed  in  the 
nursery,  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  bud ;  the  next  spring, 
top,  and  the  next  fall  or  spring,  plant  the  trees  in  the 
orchard.  They  will  then  be  two-year-old  from  the  seed, 
and  one  year  from  the  bud. 

With  extensive  nurserymen  the  fall  and  spring,  but 
especially  the  former,  are  busy  times.  Traveling  and 
local  agents,  as  well  as  many  immediate  customers,  have 
been  sending  in,  and  are  still  continuing  to  send  in  their 
orders.  These  have  all  to  be  numbered  and  entered  in  the 
nursery  order-book,  and  each  compared  and  verified  in 
order  to  prevent  mistakes.  Labels  have  to  be  procured 
and  prepared,  so  that  they  may  be  at  hand  when  wanted. 
Boxes  for  packing,  or,  if  the  nurseryman  makes  his  own 
boxes,  the  material  for  them ;  boards,  lath,  or  scantling, 
hoop-iron,  nails,  chaff,  and  straw,  as  well  as  saws,  ham- 
mers, etc. 

When  these  are  all  provided,  and  the  hands  engaged, 
the  nurseryman  awaits  the  proper  season  to  commence 
work.  When  it  comes  it  is  a  busy  time,  for  all  orders 
have  to  be  filled,  and  all  shipments  made  within  a  few 
weeks,  and  these  may  be  curtailed  by  the  early  approach 
of  winter,  which  suspends  all  operations.  The  time  to 
commence  taking  up  trees  varies  as  the  latitude.  In  the 
North  it  will  be  much  earlier  than  at  the  South.  At 


TAKING    UP    AND    SENDING   TO    MARKET.  63 

Rochester,  New  York,  the  first  of  October  will  be  found 
about  the  average,  while  at  Dover,  Delaware,  it  will  be 
four  weeks  later.  The  true  criterion  in  any  place  is  when 
the  leaves  will  rub  off  the  trees  by  the  hand.  But  it  will 
not  al  ways  do  to  wait  even  so  long ;  for  if  the  season 
has  been  wet  and  warm,  the  young  trees  will  continue  to 
grow  and  hold  their  leaves  until  the  winter  sets  in. 

When  the  season  has  arrived,  a  shanty  or  tent  of  loose 
boards  is  erected  on  the  edge  of  the  nursery.  Here  are 
the  head-quarters  for  the  time  being.  Here  are  deposited 
the  materials,  the  tools,  labels,  etc.,  and  from  here  issue 
the  orders  to  the  workmen,  and  here  the  trees  are  brought 
to  be  labeled,  packed,  and  marked. 

On  the  morning  the  work  begins,  the  foremen  who 
have  been  selected  and  engaged  to  do  the  work,  and  they 
always  should  be  and  mostly  are,  expert,  careful  men,  re- 
pair to  the  tent  for  instructions.  The  proprietor  or  over- 
seer now  opens  his  order-book  at  the  first  page,  and  reads, 
— "Fifteen  hundred  Hale's  Early;"  "Five  hundred  Early 
York,"  etc.,  until  he  goes  through  the  order.  While  he 
is  reading,  the  foreman  or  leader  has  been  taking  down 
the  names  and  numbers  on  a  small  memorandum  book  for 
the  purpose.  When  the  overseer  is  through  reading,  the 
foreman  has  them  all  down,  and  immediately  commences 
repeating  the  order  from  the  beginning,  while  the  overseer 
is  carefully  watching  to  see  that  it  is  exact.  Being  found 
so,  the  foreman  proceeds  to  the  nursery. .followed  by  his 
assistants,  where  the  requisite  number  of  each  variety  is 
carefully  taken  up  with  the  spade,  and  left  lying  in  their 
respective  rows,  if  to  be  bundled  and  tied  by  the  same 
hands;  but  if  other  hands  follow,  then  they  are  tied  by 
the  latter  in  bundles  and  labeled.  If  the  same  men  who 
take  up  are  to  bundle,  then  the  trees  are  all  taken  up  first, 
and  when  this  is  done,  bundled  in  the  same  way.  The 
label  consists  of  a  small  piece  of  light  wood,  about  an 


64  PEACH    CULTURE. 

inch  wide,  and  four  inches  long,  upon  which  the  name  of 
the  variety  is  plainly  written  in  letters,  and  the  number 
of  trees  in  the  bundle  in  figures,  thus,  "  HALE'S  EARLY,  25." 
Formerly  all  the  nursery  stock  was  taken  up  with  the 
spade ;  but  latterly,  an  implement,  called  a  "  Tree  Digging 
Plow,"  has  been  invented,  and,  among  large  nurserymen, 


Fig.   10.— TREE  DIGGING   PLOW. 

entirely  supersedes  the  old  method.  It  is  constructed  with 
two  beams,  one  to  run  on  each  side  of  the  row  of  trees,  two 
sets  of  handles,  and  a  peculiar  share,  much  in  shape  like 
the  letter  U.  This  share  is  very  sharp ;  the  horizontal 
part  runs  under,  and  the  vertical  ones  on  each  side  of  the 
trees,  and  the  roots  are  thus  smoothly  cut  off,  both  verti- 
cally and  laterally,  while  the  trees  themselves  remain 
standing,  and  may  be  taken  up  by  the  hand  at  pleasure. 
The  plow  is  propelled  by  four  horses,  two  on  each  side  of 
the  row,  harnessed  tandem,  and  guided  by  two  plowmen, 
one  on  each  side.  With  this  plow  and  equipment,  ten 
thousand  trees  may  be  prepared  in  a  single  day.  But  the 
saving  of  labor  is  not  the  only  advantage.  The  roots  are 
never  broken,  and  need  no  pruning.  Besides,  the  neces- 
sity of  heeling-in  is  obviated,  as  the  trees  may  be  taken 
out  at  any  time,  either  the  same  fall  or  the  next  spring 
without  further  expense  or  trouble, 


TAKING    UP    AXD    SENDING   TO    MARKET.  65 

The  bundles  are  usually  tied  with  strong  twine  in  sev- 
eral places,  and  the  label  is  secured  to  the  twine  by  a 
small  wire,  passing  through  or  around  the  end  thereof, 
and  fastened  to  the  twine  by  slipping  one  strand  under, 
and  the  other  above  the  twine,  and  twisting  the  ends  to- 
gether. Ordinary  iron  wire  will  answer  for  this  purpose  ; 
but  copper  wire,  being  more  ductile,  and  less  liable  to 
rust,  is  preferable,  and  is  now  mostly  used  by  our  large 
nurserymen. 

When  the  bundles  have  been  thus  made  up,  they  are 
brought  to  the  shanty  to  be  inspected  and  verified  with 
the  recorded  order.  Each  variety  is  placed  on  a  pile  by 
itself,  and  the  overseer  then  reads,  as  before,  "  Fifteen 
hundred  Hale's  Early, — five  hundred  Early  York,"  etc. 
The  varieties  and  numbers  being  found  to  correspond  with 
the  order,  the  bundles  are  now  carefully  packed  ;  and  this 
is  done  in  two  ways.  If  the  trees  are  to  be  sent  a  great 
distance,  it  is  usual  and  preferable  to  pack  in  large  boxes. 
These  are  made  of  boards  of  the  cheapest  material,  and 
of  various  widths,  in  order  to  facilitate  boxing.  The 
length  is  usually  eight  or  nine  feet,  the  breadth  and  depth 
thirty-six  to  forty  inches.  The  thickness  of  the  boards  is 
usually  three-quarter  inch  for  sides,  and  one  inch  for  ends. 

In  order  to  support  and  strengthen  the  boxes  still 
further,  it  is  usual  and  indeed  necessary,  to  put  several 
bands  of  hoop-iron  clear  around  them.  In  this  way  they 
will  carry  safely  any  distance.  When  the  boxes  are 
ready,  the  packer  puts  some  old  straw,  hay,  or  other  soft 
substance,  light  and  capable  of  retaining  moisture,  in  the 
bottom  of  the  box.  He  then  lays  a  bundle  of  trees  in, 
with  the  roots  towards  the  end,  and  another  bundle 
with  the  roots  towards  the  opposite  end,  and  so  on, 
until  the  box  is  full.  In  this  way  the  tops  overlap, 
so  that  the  thickness  of  the  mass  is  nearly  uniform 
throughout — the  length  of  the  box  being  guaged  so  as 
ta  effectuate  this  as  nearly  as  may  be.  When  the  box 
5 


66  PEACH    CULTURE. 

is  full,  more  straw  is  stuffed  in  along  the  sides  of  the  "box, 
and  some  placed  on  the  top,  then  the  lid  is  put  on  and 
nailed  fast,  the  hoops  also,  and  the  trees  are  boxed. 
The  name  and  address  of  the  consignee  is  then  painted 
or  stenciled  in  large  letters  on  the  lid  of  the  box  ;  and,  if 
not  to  be  transported  by  the  ordinary  route,  the  special 
line  or  way  is  to  be  indicated  by  smaller  letters  in  the 
border,  as  "  Via  Norfolk,"  "  Citizens'  Line,"  "  Steamer 
Belle  Mary,"  and  so  on.  This  latter  direction  is  usually 
that  of  the  consignee  ;  as  the  shipper,  unless  special  orders 
be  given,  will  ship  by  the  ordinary  line,  and  without  any 
special  directions  whatever,  thus  : 

HBNKY  WILMEB, 


N.  C. 

This  is  sufficient,  as  the  goods  will  be  delivered  by 
transportation  company  to  another,  until  they  reach 
their  destination. 

The  other  method  of  packing  is  in  bundles.  To  pack 
in  bundles,  you  must  be  provided  with  matting,  moss, 
straw  and  twine.  The  matting  is  cut  into  squares  of 
various  sizes  to  suit  the  size  of  the  bundles.  It  is  spread 
on  the  ground  and  covered  several  inches  deep  with  damp 
moss,  rotten  straw  or  haj'.  The  trees  tied  in  bundles,  as 
before  described,  are  now  brought  and  set  upright  on  the 
inoss-covered  matting.  Four  bundles,  one  hundred  trees, 
are  as  many  as  it  is  advisable  to  put  into  one  package. 
When  thus  set,  the  corners  of  the  matting  are  drawn  up 
closely  around  the  trees  ;  some  more  moss  placed  around 
the  roots  if  needful,  and  the  whole  tightly  tied  with  strong 
twine,  passed  round  and  round  and  knotted,  until  it  is 
completely  secured.  The  bundle  is  then  further  protect- 
ed by  being  thatched  with  long  rye-straw,  firmly  tied 
with  twine.  The  straw  is  some  times  put  on  before  the 
matting  is  tied,  and  the  latter  drawn  up  over  the  lower 


TAKING    UP    AND    SENDING   TO    MARKET.  67 

end  of  the  straw ;  and  some  times  the  matting  is  first 
fastened  as  above  described,  and  the  straw  thatch  placed 
on  afterwards. 

When  the  boxes  and  bundles  are  thus  prepared,  they 
are  hauled  to  the  station  or  landing  to  be  shipped.  Here 
they  are  weighed,  and  the  weight  marked  in  pounds, 
When  delivered  to  the  transporters,  duplicate  bills  of 
lading  are  made  out,  signed  and  delivered  to  the  shipper. 
When  this  is  received  at  the  shanty  or  office,  the  or- 
der is  marked,  "  filled  October  20th,  1869,  and  goods  ship- 
ped by  P.  W.  &  B.  R  R."  The  trees  are  then  charged  in 
the  journal,  a  bill  made  out  unless  already  paid  for,  and 
it,  together  with  one  of  the  bills  of  lading,  mailed  to  the 
consignee,  and  the  transaction  is  complete,  so  far  as  the 
nursery  is  concerned.  If  they  are  not  paid,  lawyers 
suits,  commissions,  and  reductions  of  profits  will  follow ; 
but  we  do  not  propose  to  speak  of  this  rather  piquant 
and  pra.ctical  feature  of  the  business. 

The  subsequent  work  is  but  a  repetition  or  continuation 
of  what  we  have  described  ;  and  it  is  unnecessary  to  pur- 
sue it  further. 

It  seldom  happens  that,  all  the  stock  is  got  off  in  the 
Fall.  The  trees  that  remain,  are  either  left  in  the  rows 
as  they  grow,  or  taken  up  marked,  and  heeled-in. 
The  heeling -in  is  done,  by  digging  a  trench,  on  some  suit- 
able, dry  spot,  free  from  roots  and  stones,  about  three  feet 
wide,  two  deep,  and  as  long  as  may  be  necessary  to  con- 
tain the  trees.  The  trench  should,  if*  convenient,  run 
north-east  and  south-west.  The  dirt  should  be  thrown  on 
the  north-west  side.  The  trees  should  then  be  placed  in 
the  trench,  in  a  leaning  posture  with  the  tops  towards  the 
south-east.  The  dirt  should  now  be  shovelled  in  and 
closely  packed,  both  to  keep  the  roots  in  a  natural  state, 
and  also  to  leave  no  lurking  place  for  mice  or  moles. 
When  the  trench  is  full,  the  residue  of  the  dirt  should  be 
banked  up  against  the  trees  and  on  them  from  the  north- 


68  PEACH   CULTURE. 

west  side.  This  will  shield  them  from  the  cold  blasts  of 
winter,  and  keep  them  in  good  condition  until  wanted 
the  next  spring.  They  may  be  still  further  protected  by 
throwing  over  them,  small  branches  of  pine  or  other  ever- 
green, bagasse,  corn-stalks,  or  straw.  The  freer  from  seed 
or  grain  the  better,  as  that,  sometimes  attracts  the  mice 
and  other  vermin,  which  often  injure  the  trees.  Here 
they  should  remain  until  wanted  for  shipment  or  planting 
the  next  spring. 


CHAPTER  XL 

SELECTING  A  SITE  FOR  AN  ORCHARD. 

THE  first  step,  after  the  planter  has  either  reared  of 
purchased  his  trees,  is  the  selection  of  a  site  for  his  or- 
chard. At  first  view  this  seems  very  simple  ;  but  to  in- 
sure satisfaction  several  things  are  to  be  considered. 

As  the  young  wood  and  fruit  buds  often  suffer  from  the 
piercing  blasts  of  winter,  a  spot  that  is  sheltered  from 
these  is  much  to  be  desired.  And,  as  they  usually  come 
from  the  north  and  north-west,  a  site  on  the  south,  or 
south-east,  of  a  wood  or  hill,  is,  other  things  being  equal, 
greatly  to  be  preferred.  And  if  a  cove  or  valley  can  be 
found,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  high  lands,  so  much 
the  better.  But,  except  in  a  hilly  country,  sites  of  this 
kind  cannot  be  found.  But  their  value  can  hardly  be 
overestimated ;  and  the  possession  of  such  a  one  has 
sometimes  made  the  fortune  of  its  owner.  We  will  give 
an  instance  or  two.  On  the  Alleghany  river,  thirty-six 
miles  above  Pittsburg,  resides  Mr.  Thomas  Logan,  whose 
success  in  raising  fine  fruit,  especially  apples,  is  famous. 
His  land  is  good,  but  not  better  than  that  of  many  of  his 
neighbors ;  his  culture  is  good,  but  not  better  than  some 


SELECTING    A   SITE   FOR   Atf    ORCHARD.  69 

others  in  the  vicinity  ;  yet  his  success  is  far  greater  than 
any  others.  Indeed,  he  scarcely  ever  fails,  and  it  is  at- 
tributed to  this  cause  —  his  orchard  is  surrounded  by 
high  hills.  On  the  north,  they  rise  several  hundred 
feet,  but  are  a  mile  or  more  in  the  distance  ;  on  the  east,l 
they  are  not  quite  so  high,  but  approach  nearer ;  on  the 
south,  they  are  nearly  as  high  as  on  the  north,  and  about 
the  same  distance ;  and  on  the  west,  they  are  not  more  than 
fifty  or  sixty  feet  high,  but  covered  with  timber.  Between 
these  flows  the  river,  not  in  a  straight  line,  but  first  to 
the  sourii-west,  then  to  the  south-east,  and  then  back 
again  to  the  south-west.  By  this  peculiar  topographical 
position,  the  wind  has  no  direct  sweep  on  the  farm.  What 
is  more  remarkable  still,  and  goes  even  further  to  prove 
that  Mr.  Logan's  succes's  is  owing  to  position,  and  not 
cultivation  or  other  cause,  is  the  fact,  that  on  the  fourth 
of  June,  A.  D.,  1859,  a  remarkable  frost  occurred,  which 
killed  not  only  the  fruit,  but  the  wheat  and  rye,  and  even 
the  leaves  of  the  trees,  in  all  that  section  of  the  country. 
Yet  Mr.  Logan  had  sixty  acres  of  wheat,  which  was  not 
even  injured. 

Many  similar  instances,  but  not  perhaps  so  remarkable, 
have  come  under  our  own  observation.  The  cases  of 
trees  in  towns  protected  by  houses  and  walls,  are  famil- 
iar. It  seems  plain,  therefore,  that  the  topography  of  a 
place  has  much  to  do  with  the  success  or  failure  of  an  or- 
chard. But  it  is  equally  evident,  that  favorable  locations, 
such  as  we  have  described,  are  very  rare.  Proximity  to 
a  body  of  water  is  supposed  by  some  to  be  a  favorable 
circumstance ;  and  some  remarkable  results  are  referred 
to  in  support  of  this  opinion.  It  is,  no  doubt  true,  that  the 
proximity  of  a  bay,  lake  or  large  river  materially  allevi- 
ates the  severity  of  winter  ;  and  often  prevents  the  inju- 
rious effects  of  late  frosts  in  the  spring.  These  beneficial 
results,  however,  are  sometimes  impaired,  or  entirely 
neutralized,  by  counteracting  ones  ;  and  especially  in  the 


70  PEACH    CtTLTUBE. 

case  of  peaches.  The  peach  is  a  tender  and  delicate  fruit, 
ripens  almost  in  a  day  and  perishes  in  another,  if  not 
eaten  or  preserved.  It  is  exceedingly  susceptible  to  at* 
mospheric  influences,  and  thousands  of  baskets  have 
perished  on  the  trees  in  consequence  of  one  warm  wet 
day.  This  was  the  case  in  Delaware,  in  1867,  when  the 
fruit  rotted  on  the  trees  by  car  loads,  for  the  want  of  dry 
air  and  sunshine. 

Now  it  has  been  found  that  orchards  near  water  are 
more  exposed  to  this  danger  than  others.  Hence,  it  is 
difficult  to  say  whether  or  not  it  is  advisable  to  select  a 
site  on  the  margin  of  a  water.  The  advantages  seem  to 
be  nearly  equally  balanced  ;  and  the  preponderance  will, 
perhaps,  be  generally  determined  by  other  considera- 
tions. In  former  years,  sites  on  the  north  sides  of  hills 
were  considered  best  by  many,  inasmuch  as  the  ground 
remained  frozen  much  longer  in  the  spring,  thus  retarding 
the  blooming  of  the  blossoms  until  after  severe  frosts, 
which  it  undoubtedly  did.  But  closer  and  longer  experi- 
ence and  observation  have  satisfied  planters  that  there  is 
more  danger  from  winter  killing,  while  the  germ  is  her- 
metically folded  in  its  flower  leaves,  than  from  spring 
frosts.  Hence,  that  it  is  more  important  to  obtain  a 
shelter  from  the  northern  blasts  of  winter,  than  from  the 
late  frosts  of  spring. 

SOIL. 

THE  character  of  the  soil  must  not  be  overlooked. 
Much  will  depend  upon  this,  in  general,  but  especially  in 
the  culture  and  growth  of  the  young  trees.  After  the 
orchard  is  established  and  in  bearing,  the  difference  will 
not  be  so  material.  Along  the  whole  Delaware  Peninsula, 
from  Cape  Charles,  on  the  south,  to  the  Delaware  and 
Chesapeake  Canal  on  the  north,  the  soil  is  so  peculiarly 
conducive  to  the  production  of  the  peach  in  all  its  rich 
luxuriousness,  that  it  is  difficult  to  make  a  mistake  in  the 


SELECTING   A   SITE   FOR   AN   ORCHARD.  71 

soil.  Here,  perhaps,  the  only  thing  to  be  studiously  avoid- 
ed, is  the  low  lands.  Land  that  holds  water  is  unfit  for 
fruit  of  any  kind,  but  especially  so  for  peaches.  Avoid- 
ing this,  the  cultivator  can  scarcely  go  wrong  within  the 
limits  mentioned. 

In  general,  any  soil  that  is  well  adapted  to  corn  is  good 
for  peaches.  But  a  light,  sandy  loam  is  best.  Quick 
growth  and  rapid  maturity,  both  of  tree  and  fruit,  are  the 
best  conditions  for  the  peach  ;  and  a  light,  warm  soil  is 
a  necessary  element  in  their  production.  The  lighter 
the  soil,  the  earlier  will  the  tree  bear  and  the  fruit  ripen, 
and  the  sooner  will  both  decline. 

THE    FIELD. 

IT  is  usual  to  plant  an  entire  field,  and  often  several. 
As  every  planter  wishes  his  plantation  or  farm  to  present 
a  handsome  appearance  to  the  public  road  or  street,  he 
will,  when  selecting  a  site  for  an  orchard,  have  regard  to 
this,  and  select  a  spot  that  will  gratify  this  commendable 
desire.  Now,  although  orchards  are  very  pretty  in  them- 
selves, yet,  as  they  hide  every  thing  beyond  them,  it  is 
usually  judicious  to  place  them  in  the  rear,  where  they 
form  a  handsome  background  to  a  stately  mansion  and 
beautiful  lawn,  flanked  by  waving  fields  of  golden  grain 
and  fragrant  clover.  Besides,  as  a  general  rule,  they  are 
less  exposed  to  depredations  than  when  in  front. 

SHAPE. 

SOME  regard  should  also  be  had  to  the  shape  of  the 
field  to  be  planted.  A  long  strip,  or  angular  piece, 
should  be  avoided,  unless  it  is  all  the  land  on  one  side  of 
a  road,  or  properly  rounds  off  another  orchard.  Orchards 
planted  in  squares,  other  things  being  equal,  look  best, 
and  are  most  convenient. 


PEACH   CULTURE. 


CHAPTER    XIL 
PLANTING    AN    ORCHARD. 

After  the  selection,  the  preparation  of  the  ground  is 
naturally  the  next  thing  in  order.  This  is  quite  simple, 
but  often  neglected.  If  there  are  any  stumps,  roots,  or 
stones,  they  should  be  removed.  If  left  they  will  interfere 
with  the  comfortable  cultivation  of  the  orchard,  and  may 
some  day  injure  a  tree.  An  orchard  may  be  planted  after 
any  crop,  but  corn  stubble  is,  perhaps,  a  preferable  ground. 
If  taste  and  neatness  are  to  control,  the  ground  will  be 
carefully  plowed,  harrowed,  and  rolled.  But  when  hun- 
dreds of  trees  are  to  be  set  in  a  short  time,  and  speed  and 
economy  are  important  objects,  all  this  is  seldom  done. 
It  is  quite  common  to  do  nothing  more  than  plow  the 
ground.  Even  this  is  sometimes  omitted ;  and  that,  too, 
without  materially  impairing  the  success  of  the  job. 
When  the  ground  is  not  even  plowed,  it  is  prepared  in 
one  of  these  two  ways. 

A  beginning  is  made  by  running  a  furrow,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  twenty  feet,  say,  from  the  fence,  in  the  direction 
the  first  row  is  to  run ;  and  another,  and  another,  at  the 
same  distance  apart,  until  the  ground  has  been  gone 
over.  Cross  furrows  are  then  run  at  right  angles  with  the 
former,  and  at  the  same  distances.  The  trees  are  planted 
at  the  intersections. 

The  other  way  is  very  similar;  the  only  material  differ- 
ence being,  that  instead  of  forming  single  furrows  the  first 
time,  a  double  one  is  run,  and  a  ridge  formed  by  throw- 
ing two  together.  In  order  to  do  this  accurately,  begin 
on  the  east  side  of  the  field  to  be  planted,  and  run  the 
first  furrow  from  north  to  south,  nineteen  feet  from  the 


PLANTING   AN    OECHABD.  73 

fence ;  when  at  the  south  end,  turn  to  the  right^  and  run 
back  to  the  place  of  starting  at  the  distance  of  twenty- 
one  feet  from  the  fence.  By  so  doing,  the  two  furrows 
will  be  thrown  together,  and  the  center  of  the  ridge 
formed  by  these  two  furrows  will  be  twenty  feet  from  the 
fence,  the  distance  designed  for  the  first  row  of  trees. 
Another  ridge  twenty  feet  to  the  west  of  that  will  now 
be  formed  in  the  same  way,  and  so  on  until  the  requisite 
number  has  been  made.  If  a  beginning  be  made  on  the 
west  side  of  the  field,  the  process  will  be  the  same,  ex- 
cept that  the  first  furrow  will  be  twenty-one  and  the 
second  nineteen  feet  from  the  fence,  reversing  the  first 
order,  but  producing  the  same  result.  When  these  ridges 
have  been  made,  the  cross  furrows  are  also  run  in  two 
ways.  The  first  is  simply  single  furrows  run  at  right 
angles  with  the  ridges,  and  twenty  feet  apart.  The 
other  is  to  run  two  furrows,  one  nineteen  and  the  other 
twenty-one  feet  from  the  fence,  throwing  the  mold  in  op- 
posite directions ;  and  thus  forming  the  ridges  into  squares 
whose  sides  are  two  feet.  In  the  center  of  these  squares, 
the  trees  are  planted.  It  is  easily  seen  that  by  this  meth- 
od a  dry  seat  is  obtained  for  the  young  tree,  as  it  is 
drained  on  all  sides,  which  is  the  only  advantage.  In 
fall  planting,  especially  when  the  land  is  low,  we  think 
it  is  to  be  preferred,  but  not  in  the  spring — indeed,  unless 
there  is  danger  of  drowning  out  the  trees,  during  winter, 
we  would  not  recommend  it. 

When  the  ground  has  been  prepared  by  running  the 
cross  furrows  or  ridges,  there  is  nothing  more  to  do  until 
the  planting  begins.  But  when  it  has  been  plowed,  har- 
rowed, and  rolled,  as  at  first  described,  the  planter  has  a 
choice  of  methods  of  marking,  or  "  signing  "  out,  his  or- 
chard. He  can  do  it  by  simply  running  furrows  and 
cross  furrows,  at  the  proper  distances,  as  heretofore  men- 
tioned, for  ground  that  has  not  been  plowed  at  all,  and 
which  is  done  just  as  for  corn,  only  that  the  rows  are 


74  PEACH    CULTURE. 

wider.  But,  if  geometrical  exactness  is  required,  he  will 
have  it  staked  off  with  chain  and  compass.  This  is  sel- 
dom, if  ever,  done  in  large  peach  growing  districts,  where 
peaches  are  planted  for  profit,  and  where  thousands,  and 
sometimes  tens  of  thousands,  in  a  single  season  by  the 
same  proprietor.  Besides,  a  careful  man,  with  a  quiet 
team  can  run  off  the  rows  very  well,  and  so  as  to  neither 
incommode  the  after  tillage  nor  offend  the  eye  by  ir- 
regular lines. 

PLANTING. 

When  all  things  are  ready,  the  planting  begins.  And 
we  remark  here,  that  the  same  care  is  to  be  exercised  to 
prevent  mixture  or  confusion  of  varieties,  as  at  the  nur- 
sery. There  should  be  only  one  variety  in  a  row,  and  all 
of  the  same  variety  should  be  planted  together.  This  will 
prove  satisfactory  when  the  fruit  comes  to  be  gathered. 

We  might  here  suggest  another  method,  which  we 
have  never  seen  adopted ;  but,  in  view  of  the  conveni- 
ence of  gathering,  we  think  worthy  of  consideration  ;  it  is 
to  plant  the  same  variety  in  squares  of  100,  thus : 


By  this  method  great  compactness  will  be  attained. 
For  small  orchards,  where  not  more  than  two  or  three 
hundred  of  the  same  variety  are  desired,  we  think  it  will 
be  found  very  convenient ;  but  when  more  are  wanted, 
it  will  not  afford  any  additional  advantage. 


PLANTING   AN   ORCHARD.  75 

In  planting  an  orchard,  it  is  usual  to  plant  a  number  of 
varieties ;  some  early,  some  late,  and  some  intermediate 
ones.  The  object  of  this  is  two-fold.  First,  in  order  that 
success  or  failure  may  not  depend  altogether  upon  a  sin- 
gle variety,  but  upon  many.  Secondly,  that  the  fruit 
may  ripen  progressively,  so  that  the  planter  will  have  a 
supply  for  the  market  during  the  entire  season.  Also, 
that  he  may  be  the  better  able  to  handle  the  crop,  for 
while  it  may  be  quite  convenient  to  send  ten  thousand 
baskets  of  a  dozen  varieties  to  market  during  a  season  of 
six  weeks,  it  may  be  quite  impracticable  to  send  the  same 
quantity,  of  one  variety,  in  a  single  week.  For  these  rea- 
sons a  selection  is  made,  beginning  with  the  earliest,  and 
ending  with  the  latest. 

One  side  of  the  orchard  should  be  fixed  upon  as  the 
front.  Here  should  be  the  entrance,  and  as  near  the 
center  as  convenient,  and  from  the  entrance  there  should 
be  an  avenue,  or  main  way,  through  to  the  rear.  This 
should  be  at  least  thirty  feet  wide ;  and,  if  large  peach 
wagons  are  to  be  used,  more  space  will  be  required,  or  at 
least  a  turning  place  at  the  faf  end. 

The  earliest  fruit  should  be  planted  next  the  entrance ; 
and  progressively  to  the  rear,  planting  the  latest  last. 
This  will  enable  the  planter  to  clear  his  orchard,  as  he 
goes.  The  trees  in  front  will  be  relieved,  the  limbs  will 
gradually  regain  their  former  position,  little  or  no  fruit 
will  be  knocked  off  in  gathering,  and  the  good  temper 
both  of  the  proprietor  and  hands  be  maintained. 

The  actual  planting  now  begins  by  digging  holes  for  the 
trees.  When  the  ground  has  been  ridged,  as  above  describ- 
ed, they  are  made  in  the  center  of  the  ridge  about  a  foot  or 
fifteen  inches  below  the  natural  surface.  We  say  natural 
surface,  because  it  will  not  do  to  place  the  young  trees 
on  the  top  of  the  ridge.  By  doing  this,  they  would  be 
simply  planted  upon  a  hillock,  which  would  soon  wear 
away,  leaving  the  trees  without  adequate  moisture  or 


76  PBACH    CULTURE. 

support.  The  ridge  is  simply  to  serve  as  a  temporary 
protection  against  water.  After  the  first  winter  has  pass- 
ed, its  use  will  have  been  ended.  The  roots  of  the  young 
tree  should,  therefore,  find  their  home  and  sustenance  in 
the  common  level  of  the  soil.  The  ridges  themselves, 
the  spring  after  planting,  will  be  leveled  down  and  in- 
corporated with  the  other  mold. 

The  holes  at  the  crossings,  in  the  other  method,  are 
made  substantially  the  same  way.  In  any  case,  regard 
should  be  had  to  the  size  of  the  roots,  the  character  of 
the  soil,  etc.  The  usual  size  is  about  eighteen  inches 
square,  and  twelve  or  fifteen  inches  deep.  The  admis- 
sion of  the  roots  without  crowding  or  cramping  is  the 
aim,  and  the  intelligent  operator  can  see  at  a  glance  what 
the  proper  size  should  be. 

When  the  soil  is  gravelly,  or  clayey,  it  is  advisable  to 
make  them  larger,  in  order  that  when  the  young  fibres 
begin  to  grow,  they  may  not  have  so  compact  a  soil  to 
penetrate  ;  but  in  congenial  ground  this  is  unnecessary. 

The  trees  are  usually  trimmed  at  the  nursery,  but  some- 
Itimes  they  are  not,  and  haVe  to  be  trimmed  when  set 
out.  This  is  properly  done  by  taking  the  young  tree  in 
the  left  hand,  immediately  above  the  roots,  and  turning 
up  the  latter.  Then,  with  a  sharp  priming  knife,  cut  off 
all  injured  roots,  and  shorten  such  straggling  ones  as  ex- 
tend more  than  a  foot  from  the  main  stem.  Now  turn 
the  tree  in  the  hand,  and  cut  off  smoothly  and  closely, 
every  limb  for  the  distance  of  two  feet.  The  tree  is  now 
ready  to  plant.  After  the  holes  are  dug,  two  hands,  at 
least,  are  necessary  to  plant.  The  trees  are  first  dropped, 
one  at  each  hole.  One  of  the  hands  throws  a  shovelful  of 
mold  into  the  hole  ;  the  other  sets  the  tree  therein  in  an 
erect  position,  and  holds  it  there.  The  first,  shovels  in  the 
dirt  that  was  previously  ta  en  out ;  or,  if  this  is  not  suf- 
ficiently rich  or  fine,  he  scoops  up  some  of  the  surrounding 
surface,  and  fills  up  the  hole,  a  little  above  the  common 


PLANTING    AN    ORCHARD.  77 

level,  so  as  to  shed  the  rain.  All  the  while,  the  second 
hand  is  tramping  the  soil  closely  around  the  root  of  the 
tree,  and  still  maintaining  its  erect  position. 

The  next  tree  is  set  two  or  three  hundred  feet  beyond 
the  first;  and  the  third  two  or  three  hundred  feet  beyond 
the  second,  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  row.  The  object  of 
this  is  to  have  sight  trees  or  pointers,  and  thus  enable  the 
operators  to  obtain  straight  rows,  which  they  seldom  do, 
when  they  plant  continuously  from  one  end  to  the  other. 
During  the  planting,  they  are  continually  sighting  the 
rows,  and  also  the  cross  rows,  and  drawing  in,  or  shoving 
out,  so  as  to  get  both  in  line.  This  is  done  almost 
instantly,  takes  far  less  time  in  the  aggregate  than  is 
supposed,  and  adds  greatly  to  the  appearance  of  the  or- 
chard. It  is  not  customary,  to  use  any  fertilizer  when 
planting,  but  sometimes  a  handful  of  bone-dust  or  ashes 
is  placed  in  the  hill ;  and  it  is,  no  doubt,  beneficial. 

Where  the  soil  is  clean  and  loose,  the  planting  is  very 
rapid  ;  and  two  hands  will  dig  the  holes  and  set  five 
hundred  trees  a  day  in  the  light,  mellow  soil  of  the  Pen- 
insula. Where  it  is  less  kind,  the  work  will,  of  course, 
be  slower. 

TIME. 

The  orchard  may  be  planted  in  the  fall  or  spring  with 
equal  success.  Some  prefer  the  former,  and  some  the 
latter.  If  the  young  trees  have  been  grown  in  rich  soil, 
the  wood  will  be  somewhat  soft  and  succulent ;  and,  if 
planted  in  the  fall,  in  severe  latitudes,  they  will  be  very 
much  exposed,  and  may  freeze  down  during  the  winter ; 
while  if  the  same  trees  be  kept  heeled-in,  and  thus  pro- 
tected, they  will  suffer  little  or  no  injury. 

The  advantages  of  fall  planting  are,  that  first-class  trees 
are  more  readily  obtained,  as  the  nurseries  have  not  then 
been  culled,  or  the  stock  exhausted,  as  is  often  the  case  in 


78  PEACH    CULTURE. 

the  spring.  For  this  reason  it  is  well  to  secure  the  treei 
in  the  fall,  even  if  they  are  not  to  be  planted  until  spring. 
The  ground  is  generally  in  better  order  in  the  fall  than  in 
the  spring,  and  the  planting  can,  in  consequence,  be  done 
in  a  more  satisfactory  manner.  It  is  also  a  more  convenient 
season  for  the  planter.  His  corn  has  been  harvested,  his 
fall  work  generally  disposed  of;  and  just  before  the  win- 
ter sets  in,  he  can  plant  his  orchard.  For  these  reasons 
we  prefer  the  fall ;  but  if  more  convenient,  we  should  not 
hesitate  to  plant  in  the  spring.  Our  experience  justifies 
this  conclusion.  We  commenced  planting  an  orchard  in 
the  fall  of  1867 ;  but,  before  we  finished,  we  were  over- 
taken by  winter ;  the  residue  of  the  trees  were  heeled-in 
until  the  next  spring,  when  they  were  planted.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1869,  we  could  not  tell  which  looked  best.  Both 
did  very  well.  In  the  fall,  planting  may  commence  as 
Boon  as  the  leaves  can  be  rubbed  off  with  the  hand,  and 
continue  until  winter  stops  the  work.  In  spring,  it  may 
commence  as  soon  as  the  ground  is  dry  enough,  and  con- 
tinue until  the  buds  come  out. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
ORCHARD    CULTIVATION. 

FIRST  TRIMMING. 

When  the  trees  are  planted  in  the  fall,  it  is  preferable 
to  leave  a  few  branches  towards  the  top  of  the  stem. 
They  serve  as  a  sort  of  shield  to  frosts  of  winter. 
When  planting  is  done  in  the  spring,  the  trees  should  be 
trimmed  close  and  smooth  like  a  rod,  every  limb  taken 
off,  and  the  tops  cut  down  to  a  uniform  height  of  not  less 
than  two  feet  and  a  half,  nor  more  than  three  and  a  half. 


ORCHARD    CULTIVATION.  79 

Three  feet  is  a  very  good  height.  Those  planted  in  the 
fall,  should  be  treated  in  the  very  same  way  in  the  spring 
following.  This  should  be  done  as  early  in  the  spring  as 
the  weather  will  admit,  as  it  is  desirable  to  confine  all  the 
ascending  sap  to  the  stem,  and  not  let  it  be  wasted  in  the 
branches  which  are  to  be  cut  off.  Some  uninformed  and 
mexperienced  planters  often  leave  a  few  branches,  hoping 
thereby  to  induce  earlier  fruiting;  but  it  has  no  such 
effect,  but  rather  retards  it ;  for  it  should  always  be  re- 
membered, that  fruit  is  only  produced  on  wood  of  the 
previous  year's  growth ;  so  that  these  branches  on  the 
trees  when  planted,  never  can  produce  fruit,  unless  it  be 
the  first  season.  This  very  seldom  occurs,  and  is  never 
desirable. 

CROPPING. 

The  usual  crop  cultivated  in  a  young  peach  orchard,  is 
corn — small  grains,  never.  It  is  believed,  that  if  the 
ground  was  merely  cultivated  between  the  rows,  kept 
loose  and  clear  of  weeds  and  grass,  the  young  trees  would 
make  more  rapid  growth ;  and  to  cultivate  with  low 
vegetables,  such  as  potatoes,  cabbages,  and  so  forth,  would 
be  better  than  corn.  But  it  is  too  long  to  wait  for  a  re- 
turn, to  leave  the  ground  idle  until  the  peaches  come  in  ; 
and  the  acreage  is  too  great,  to  cultivate  it  all  in  potatoes 
or  other  root  crop.  It  is,  therefore,  cultivated  in  the 
favorite  crop,  corn.  And  this  is  perhaps  the  best  after 
all,  as  the  injury  to  the  young  orchard  is  but  slight, 
while  the  return  is  considerable. 

The  ground  is  prepared  in  the  spring  as  any  other.  It 
is  plowed,  harrowed,  sometimes  rolled,  and  then  marked 
out  and  planted,  with  four  rows  between  each  row  of 
trees.  It  is  done  in  this  way  :  Run  a  furrow  for  a  row  of 
corn  four  feet  from  the  row  of  trees;  then  another  four 
feet  from  that  one  ;  a  third  four  feet  from  the  last,  and  a 
fourth  four  feet  from  the  third.  The  distances  will  count 


80  PEACH  CULTURE. 

thus  :  From  row  of  trees  to  first  row  of  corn,  4  feet;  from 
first  row  of  corn  to  second,  4  feet ;  from  second  to  third 
row  of  corn,  4  feet;  from  the  third  to  the  fourth,  4  feet; 
and  from  the  fourth  row  of  corn  to  the  next  row  of  trees 
4  feet ;  in  all,  twenty  feet.  As  no  furrow  can  be  run 
between  the  trees  and  on  the  same  line,  the  spaces  are  filled 
up  by  hand  and  hoe,  without  any  furrow.  It  will  be  seen 
from  this  that  each  tree  occupies  precisely  the  space  of 
one  hill  of  corn  ;  that  is,  a  square  each  side  of  which  is 
four  feet.  This  is  sufficient  the  first  season.  The  second, 
the  rows  may  be  reduced  to  three  ;  the  third  to  two ; 
after  which,  if  the  orchard  has  grown  well,  and  comes 
into  bearing,  it  will  not  be  desirable  to  crop  it  at  all.  But 
planters  often  cultivate  four  rows  all  the  while. 

SECOND  TRIMMING. 

In  the  month  of  June  after  planting,  an  intelligent  and 
careful  man  should  go  through  the  orchard  with  his 
pruning  knife  and  lop  off  every  limb  and  sucker  nearer 
than  two  feet  to  the  ground.  He  should  also  cut  in  any 
straggling  limbs  that  have  gone  far  beyond  the  general 
contour  of  the  head.  It  will  also  in  some  cases  be  judi- 
cious to  thin  out  some,  on  one  side  or  the  other,  in  order 
to  give  the  tree  a  proper  balance  and  handsome  shape. 
It  is  of  great  importance  that  this  work  be  timely  and 
properly  done ;  for  if  the  suckers  and  low  limbs  be  not 
cut  off  they  will  not  only  spoil  the  shape  of  the  tree  but 
exhaust  its  strength  and  greatly  retard  its  growth.  If 
the  trimming  is  timely  and  judiciously  done,  the  limbs 
that  are  left  will  grow  strong  and  vigorous,  the  wood  will 
ripen  early,  and  the  vitality  of  fche  tree  be  preserved. 

At  the  time  this  trimming  takes  place,  if  any  diseased, 
scrubby,  or  incurably  ill-shaped  trees  are  found,  they 
should  be  carefully  noted,  in  order  that  they  may  be  re- 
placed the  next  fall.  This  should  be  done  thus  :  let 


ORCHARD    CULTIVATION.  81 

the  pruner  have  a  little  memorandum,  and  enter  therein 
the  number  of  such  trees  in  each  row,  giving  also  the  num- 
ber of  the  row  and  the  variety.  By  this  means  the  planter 
will  know  exactly,  how  many  trees  of  each  variety  he 
will  need,  and  in  what  rows  the  vacancies  occur,  and  all 
without  the  expense  and  trouble  of  a  recount. 

The  more  effectually  to  insure  the  proper  substitution, 
the  faulty  trees  should  be  pulled  up,  broken  down,  or1 
otherwise  destroyed. 

HEIGHT    OF    HEAD. 

There  is  some  diversity  of  opinion  in  regard  to  the 
height  of  the  head  of  a  tree ;  or  rather  at  what  height  the 
head  should  be  allowed  to  commence  to  form.  We  think 
three  feet  the  proper  height.  Allowing  the  limbs  to  stand 
at  this  point,  they  will  naturally  strike  upward  at  an 
acute  angle  with  the  stem,  and  thus  allow  room  enough 
to  cultivate  around  them  with  a  mule  or  low  horse.  And 
this  is  important  to  the  cultivator ;  for  if  the  trees,  instead 
of  being  plowed  around,  have  to  be  dug  or  spaded,  the 
expense  will  be  considerably  increased. 

The  arguments  advanced  by  those  who  advocate  low 
heads  are.  two.  First :  that  the  fruit  is  nearer  the  ground, 
more  easily  picked,  and  not  so  likely  to  break  down  the 
branches.  Second :  that  the  low  heads  withstand  the 
storm  better,  and  are  not  so  easily  blown  down.  But 
the  answer  to  all  this  is,  that  when  the  heads  are  low,  the 
fruit  does  not  ripen  early  or  well  on  the  low  branches, 
and  is  generally  small  in  size  and  inferior  in  quality.  In 
time,  the  lower  branches  for  the  want  of  sufficient  air  and 
light,  die,  and  have  to  be  removed,  thus  leaving  the  tree 
with  less  bearing  wood  or  in  worse  shape  than  if  it  had 
been  trimmed  up  to  the  proper  height  at  first.  In  regard 
to  the  exemption  from  injury  by  storms,  it  is  ascertained, 
from  experience  and  observation,  that  very  few  trees  are 
6 


82  PEACH    CULTURE. 

ever  blown  down,  or  even  injured  by  ordinary  storms,  and 
as  to  tornadoes  or  hurricanes,  low  heads  give  no  protec- 
tion. It  is  admitted  the  fruit  can  be  more  easily  gathered 
from  low  than  high  trees  ;  but  this  advantage  is  but 
slight,  and  no  adequate  compensation  for  what  is  lost. 

The  character  of  the  head  is  formed  the  first  year,  and 
it  will  need  but  little  attention  thereafter.  The  trimming 
directed  for  June,  however,  should  be  repeated  about  the 
last  of  August.  If  well  done  on  those  two  occasions,  all 
that  will  be  necessary  in  subsequent  years  will  be  to  cut 
out  dead  and  broken  branches.  Peach  trees  do  not  form 
close,  compact  heads,  like  apples  and  pears ;  and,  conse- 
quently, do  not  need  thinning. 

CUTTING-IK 

Some  maintain  that  the  peach  tree  should  be  cut-in  an- 
nually. This  is  done  by  cutting  off  about  one-half  of 
each  year's  growth  the  same  season,  or  early  the  next 
spring.  When  the  sap  reaches  this  point,  it  is,  of  course, 
checked,  and  sends  out  several  new  branches,  instead  of 
following  the  old  one,  as  it  would  have  done,  had  not  that 
been  cut  in.  In  this  way,  more  bearing  wood  is  pro- 
duced nearer  the  main  stem  and  nearer  the  ground.  We 
believe  it  is  an  advantage ;  and,  in  the  case  of  young 
trees,  may  do  very  well ;  but  when  the  trees  attain  full 
size,  it  would  require  much  labor,  and  be  attended  with 
considerable  expense ;  and,  taking  into  view  the  fact,  that 
the  trees  hardly  ever  bear  three  years  in  succession,  it  is 
believed  that  cutting-in  would  not  pay.  For  garden  cul- 
ture, or  even  small  orchards,  it  may  be  adopted;  but 
when  trees  are  counted  by  thousands,  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands, few  will  find  it  convenient  or  profitable.  There  is 
still  another  advantage  claimed  for  cutting-in,  and  which 
we  do  not  wish  to  undervalue.  It  is,  that  it  invigorates 
and  prolongs  the  life  of  the  tree.  We  think  this  is  so, 


ORCHARD   CULTIVATION.  83 

and  that  a  tree  cut-in  annually  will  remain  longer  thrifty 
than  one  not  so  treated.  The  leaves  will  be  greener,  the 
young  bearing  wood  more  abundant,  and  the  fruit  larger 
and  richer.  But  in  a  congenial  soil,  where  orchards  are 
nearly  as  easily  renewed  as  strawberries,  and  where  the 
trouble  and  expense  of  cut  ting-in  are  considerable,  it  will 
not  be  often  resorted  to. 

PLOWING. 

The  orchard  should  be  plowed  at  least  twice  during 
the  year.  Once  between  the  middle  of  April  and  the 
middle  of  May  ;  and  again  between  the  middle  of  Septem- 
ber and  the  middle  of  October;  each  time  with  a  small  plow. 
A  small  plow  is  preferable,  because  it  can  be  easily  handled 
and  guided  among  the  trees  and  about  the  roots  without 
injury;  and  also  because  a  large  plow  makes  the  furrows 
too  deep,  and  thereby  cuts  the  roots.  The  furrows  should 
be  narrow,  so  that  the  ground  may  boi  well  broken.  The 
rows  of  trees  are  first  plowed  around  with  a  low  horse  or 
mule,  so  that  he  can  walk  close  up  to  the  trees.  The 
single-tree  used  should  not  be  more  than  eighteen  inches 
long,  and  the  ends  should  be  covered  with  stiff  leather 
shields.  The  horse  should  be  muzzled  to  keep  him 
from  biting  the  trees.  Both  these  precautions  should  be 
taken  whenever  an  orchard  is  plowed,  but  in  plowing 
amongst  young  trees,  it  is  doubly  important.  The  fur- 
rows, in  the  spring,  are  thrown  from  the  .tree;  in  the  fall, 
towards  them.  The  reason  of  this  is,  that  in  spring,  when 
growth  commences,  it  is  not  advantageous,  but  rather  in- 
jurious to  the  tree  to  have  any  soil  piled  around  it.  The 
light  and  air  are  wanted  to  act  on  the  roots.  The  rains 
also,  trickle  down  the  branches  and  stems,  and  thus  reach 
the  roots.  A  pile  of  earth,  therefore,  around  tte  roots, 
sheds  the  water,  and  prevents  its  proper  distiibution. 
But  in  the  fall,  after  the  growth  has  "been  made  and  the 


84  PEACH    CULTURE. 

fruit  gathered,  the  tree  needs  rest,  the  less  water  about 
the  stem  the  better.  The  earth  thrown  up  about  the  root 
is  then  a  positive  advantage,  as  it  not  only  sheds  the 
winter  rains  in  some  degree,  but  it  also  serves  as  a  mulch 
to  protect  from  injury.  This  tender  part  is  what  is  called 
the  "neck,"  and  extends  about  an  inch  above,  and  two 
below  the  surface.  Here,  then,  is  a  constant  ebb 
and  flow  of  heat,  and  operating-un  contrary  directions 
at  different  seasons.  In  summer  the  air  is  warmer  than 
the  earth ;  but  in  winter,  colder.  The  surface  line  marks 
the  limit  of  these  two  influences ;  and  from  their  constant 
fluctuations,  it  is  always  a  tender  point,  and  liable  to  be 
attacked  by  disease. 

In  plowing  around  the  trees,  about  two  circuits  are 
made.  The  middles  are  then  broken  up  with  two  horses 
or  mules,  and  a  somewhat  larger  plow ;  but  a  very  large 
plow  should  never  be  used.  When  the  ground  is  thus 
plowed,  it  is  carefully  harrowed,  or  cultivated  down,  un- 
til every  clod  is  broken,  and  the  whole  surface  left  as 
smooth  as  a  garden.  In  doing  this,  one  horse  and  a  small 
harrow  is  used  around  the  trees,  and  two  horses  and  <i 
larger  one  in  the  middles.  In  wet  seasons,  foul  land>  ox 
very  rich  soil,  the  cultivations  may  have  to  be  repeated 
oftener  than  have  been  mentioned  heretofore  in  th:s 
chapter.  Indeed,  the  best  planters  now  cultivate  their 
orchards  as  they  do  their  corn,  about  four  or  five  times 
between  the  spring  plowing  and  the  first  of  July. 


COMING  IN.  85 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

COMING   IN.  . 

A  full  crop  of  peaches  may  usually  be  expected  the 
fourth  year  after  planting.  Thus,  an  orchard  planted  in 
the  fall  of  1865,  yields  a  full  crop  of  peaches  in  1869. 
When  we  say  a  fdll  crop,  we  mean  a  basket  to  the  tree. 
This  is  a  full  crop  for  trees  of  that  age  and  size,  and  quite 
as  much  as  they  ought  to  bear.  Some,  however,  will  bear 
two  baskets  instead  of  one,  and  others  will  not  have  half 
a  basket.  Something  depends  upon  variety,  culture,  and 
so  on.  Sometimes  it  is  very  difficult  to  account  for  the 
difference  in  production.  But  there  are  some  varieties 
that  uniformly  bear  large  crops,  and  others  that  as  uni- 
formly bear  small  ones ;  the  Troth,  or  Old  Mixon,  is  an 
instance  of  the  former,  and  Susquehanna  of  the  latter. 
i  From  years,  however,  of  observation,  it  is  found  that 
certain  varieties  are  not  only  much  more  fruitful  than 
others,  but  commence  bearing  much,  earlier.  Whether 
or  not  they  continue  as  long,  is  a  question  not  so  well 
settled,  as  there  has  not  been  time  enough  for  observa- 
tion. From  present  indications  it  would  seem  that  they 
do  ;  but  longer  experience  and  closer  observation  will  be 
needed  to  test  it  thoroughly. 

We  have  said  a  full  crop  may  be  expected  in  four 
years.  Of  course  this  general  statement  should  be  quali- 
fied by  the  remark  that  it  is  not  to  be  expected  if  the 
season  be  inimical.  If  there  is  a  failure  generally,  the 
young  trees  will  share  the  fate  of  the  old  ones. 

Again,  they  often  begin  to  bear  earlier.  We  have  seen 
trees,  planted  in  the  spring,  mature  perfect  fruit  the 
eame  fall ;  and  we  have  now,  July  1869,  young  trees  full 


86  PEACH    CULTURE. 

of  fruit  that  were  planted  in  the  fall  of  1867.  They  are, 
however,  all  of  one  variety,  Hale's  Early,  which  is  re- 
markable for  its  early  bearing  as  well  as  its  early  ripen- 
ing, but  many  of  these  will  yet  fall  off  before  full  ma- 
turity. Sometimes  fruit  will  appear  the  second,  and  others 
the  third  year.  It  is  not  generally  desirable  that  trees 
should  bear  when  very  young.  It  is  injurious  in  two 
ways.  It  weakens  the  tree  itself  in  diverting  the  vital 
forces  from  the  formation  of  wood  into  the  production  of 
fruit,  oftentimes  giving  the  tree  a  lasting  tendency 
to  feebleness.  At  an  early  age  neither  the  stem  nor 
the  branches  are  able  to  bear  a  load  of  fruit,  and  they 
often  break  down  under  its  weight.  The  tree  is  thus 
permanently  injured  both  in  usefulness  and  beauty. 

The  sum  of  the  matter  is,  that  trees  do  sometimes  bear 
even  the  first  year,  which  is  to  be  regretted ;  often  the 
second,  which  is  not  to  be  desired ;  very  often  the  third, 
which  is  gratifying ;  and  nearly  always  the  fourth,  which 
is  to  be  expected  and  desired. 

When  fruit  appears  the  first  year,  it  should  be  rubbed 
off,  in  order  to  protect  the  tree.  A  single  peach  may 
sometimes  be  left  to  gratify  the  enthusiastic  planter. 
The  second  year  thrifty,  vigorous  trees  may  be  allowed 
to  carry  a  dozen.  The  third  year,  two  or  tree  times  as 
many.  The  fourth,  whatever  they  produce. 


BASKETS  AND   CRATES.  87 

CHAPTER    XV. 
BASKETS  AND  CRATES. 

hare  now  followed  the  peach  from  the  kernel  to 
tae  mature  tree,  loaded  with  its  rich  burden  of  delicious 
and  health  giving  fruit. 

The  next  thing  is  to  get  it  to  market.     But  before  this 
is  done,  several  preliminary  matters  have  to  be  arranged. 
And  among  these,  Baskets  and  Crates  are  prominent. 
The  standard  size  of  a  peach  basket  is  five-eighths  of  a 
bushel,  struck  measure.     This  size  has  been  adopted  and 
fixed  by  the  "Peninsular  Fruit  Growers9  Association" 
and  upon  it  all  collateral  calculations  are  made.     The 
baskets  are  usually  about  eight  inches 
in  diameter  at  the  bottom,  flaring  to 
about  sixteen  inches  at  the  top.  The 
Stave  Basket  now  supersedes  all  oth- 
ers in  general  use.      It  has    these 
qualities  to  commend  it.     It  is  light, 
reasonably  strong  and  cheap.     Bas- 
kets of  this  kind  are  made  in  large 
rig.  11.— STAVE       quantities  at  almost  every  large  ship- 
BASKET.  pjng  p0int  jn  the  Peninsula,  and  cost 

from  five  to  six  dollars  per  hundred.  They  give  better 
satisfaction  than  any  other  yet  produced,  and,  for  general 
shipment,  these  are  preferred  to  all  others,  and  indeed  to 
all  other  kinds  of  packages. 

For  a  long  time  there  has  been  a  general  and  strong 
desire  to  obtain  a  still  cheaper  basket  that  might  be  sold 
or  given  with  the  fruit;  but  so  far  none  costing  less  than 
five  cents,  and  yet  sufficiently  strong  to  carry  safely,  has 
been  produced ;  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  such  an  one 


88 


PEACH   CULTUSB. 


Fig.  12.— BEECHEB 
BASKET. 


can  be.  The  stave  basket  at  five  cents,  and  holding  five- 
eighths  of  a  bushel,  is  not  very  expensive.  A  rival  has, 
however,  very  recently  appeared  in  the  shape  of  a  paper 
basket  of  the  same  size  and  a  shade  cheaper.  It  was 
exhibited  at  a  peach  growers'  meeting 
held  at  Dover,  in  June,  1887,  but 
growers  seemed  doubtful  of  its  suffi- 
ciency. The  doubts  expressed  were 
these.  That  the  ventilation  was  not 
sufficient;  that  it  was  not  strong 
enough,  and  that  the  juice  of  soft 
peaches  would  draw  taste  or  color  from 
the  material.  These  were,  of  course, 
only  doubts,  but  they  were  strong  enough  to  prevent  its 
sale  in  any  considerable  quantities,  especially  as  the  re- 
duction in  price  was  not  sufficiently  tempting  to  take  the 
risk.  And  up  to  this  time  we  may  say  that  the  stave 
basket  has  no  superior,  and  scarcely  a  rival. 

Whatever  packages  may  be  adopted,  they  should  be 
procured  in  good  time,  as  it  often 
happens  that  just  in  the  bight  of  the 
season,  when  most  wanted,  they  are 
most  difficult  to  obtain.  The  quan- 
tity a  planter  may  need  will  depend 
not  only  upon  the  size  of  his  crop, 
but  also  upon  two  or  three  collateral 
circumstances.  If  the  baskets  are 
to  be  returned,  as  heretofore,  he  will 
need  one  basket  for  every  three  of 
fruit ;  but  if  he  sells  his  baskets  with 
his  fruit  he  will,  of  course,  need  as  many  baskets  as  he 
has  baskets  of  fruit  to  put  in  them. 

Planters  used  to  insist  upon  the  return  of  "empties," 
as  they  were  called,  but  that  is  not  nearly  so  much  the 
case  now,  and  the  present  tendency  is  decidedly  to  lefc 
the  basket  go  with  the  fruit.  The  basket  question  has 


Fig.  13.— PAPER 
BASKET. 


BASKETS  AND  CBATES.  89 

given  more  annoyance  and  caused  more  irritation  than 
perhaps  any  one  thing  connected  with  the  marketing  of 
peaches.  Shippers  insisted  upon  their  return.  Com- 
mission men  engaged  to  do  so,  and  required  a  deposit 
from  every  retail  dealer  equivalent  to  the  price  of  the 
baskets  in  order  to  insure  their  return.  This  deposit 
was  sometimes  greater  than  the  value  of  the  basket, 
and  if  it  never  came  back  the  purchaser  suffered  loss. 
Then,  again,  the  baskets  were  a  source  of  annoyance  to 
the  draymen  whose  business  it  was  to  hunt  them  up  and 
deliver  them  to  the  proper  parties.  The  railroad  men 
gave  themselves  very  little  trouble  to  deliver  at  the 
proper  points,  and  sometimes  the  baskets  belonging  to 
one  station  were  left  at  another ;  and,  even  if  they  did 
reach  the  proper  station,  those  of  different  shippers  would 
be  so  mixed  up  that  it  was  very  troublesome  to  separate 
them  so  that  each  could  have  his  own.  The  whole 
system  of  return  of  baskets  involves  so  many  petty 
annoyances  and  losses  that  the  more  intelligent  and  pro- 
gressive planters  now  favor  the  sale  of  the  basket  with 
the  fruit.  In  this  way  they  get  rid  of  all  these  draw- 
backs and  causes  of  irritation,  which  have  been  such  a 
worry  for  these  many  years.  And  on  the  score  of  mere 
profit  and  loss  they  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it 
pays  to  sell  the  basket  with  the  fruit.  In  the  first  place 
the  basket  is  inexpensive,  and  it  is  contended  that  more 
sales  are  made  and  at  better  prices  when  the  baskets  have 
not  to  be  returned.  Many  people  would  rather  pay  five, 
or  even  ten,  cents  a  basket  more  without  any  obligation 
to  return.  They  regard  it  both  as  an  annoyance  and  an 
imposition.  Besides,  in  the  opinion  of  many,  fruit  sells 
better  in  a  fresh  neat  basket  than  in  a  soiled  old  one. 
In  these  views  the  growers  are  confirmed  by  the  universal 
voice  of  the  commission  men,  some  of  whom  do  not 
hesitate  to  say  that  fruit  sold  in  new  baskets,  and  with 
them,  will  bring  more  tnan  twofold  the  price  of  the 


9C  PEACH    CULTURE. 

baskets  if  the  latter  have  to  be  returned.  Such  being 
the  reasons  urged,  and  the  tendency  of  public  opinion 
among  growers,  it  is  not  likely  that  many  baskets  will 
be  returned  hereafter  New  York  commission-men  re- 
turned none  in  1888t 

CRATES, 

THE  standard  dimensions  of  a  crate  are  eight  inches 
wide,  fourteen  deep,  and  twenty-three  and  a  half  long,  out- 
side measure.  They  are  made  of  pine  or  other  light 
wood.  The  ends  and  partition  are  sawed  three-quarters 
of  an  inch  thick,  seven  and  a  half  wide,  and  fourteen 
long.  The  bottom  and  top  twenty-three  and  a  half  long, 
six  and  a  half  wide,  and  three-eighths  of  an  inch  thick. 
The  sides  are  composed  of  four  slats,  twenty-three  and  a 
half  inches  long,  two  and  a  half  inches  wide,  and  also 
three-eighths  of  an  inch  thick.  Sometimes  lighter  stuff 
is  use*d.  The  ends  and  partition  are  thicker,  because  to 
these  all  the  other  pieces  are  nailed.  The  whole  crate 
consists  of  thirteen  pieces.  It  is  very  simple  in  construc- 
tion, and  any  intelligent  hand,  with  a  proper  frame,  can 
put  it  up  without  difficulty.  The  stuff  is  sometimes 
planed  on  the  outside,  which  gives  it  a  much  neater 

appearance.  Crates  of  this 
kind  cost  about  ten  dollars 
per  hundred.  They  go  with 
the  peaches,  and  are  never 
£"  returned ;  hence,  those  who 
ship  in  crates  must  provide 

as  many  crates  as  they  have 
fruit  to  fin  them%     The  rea. 

sons  they  are  not  returned,  are  two.  First:  they  cannot 
be  packed  in  each  other  like  baskets,  but  occupy  precisely 
as  much  room  as  when  full.  Besides,  they  are  much 
more  troublesome  to  handle,  and  the  transporters  will 


CRATES.  91 

not  return  them  free  of  charge  as  they  do  "baskets.  Sec- 
ondly :  they  are  usually  reshipped  or  sent  at  once  to  a 
distant  market,  and  sold  with  the  peaches. 

The  relative  merits  and  advantages  of  shipping  in  bas- 
kets and  crates  depend  on  circumstances.  If  the  planter 
is  shipping  fruit  to  be  sold  in  the  New  York  or  Philadel- 
phia market,  he  will  find  it  profitable  to  ship  in  baskets, 
as  it  is  better  displayed,  and  presents  a  more  inviting 
appearancec  But  if  he  ships  to  more  distant  points,  or 
only  to  the  great  commercial  centers  fov  reshipment, 
crates  are  preferable,  as  the  fruit  is  better  f  rotected,  and 
bears  rougher  handling. 

Shipping  by  express  is  dene  almost  exclusively  in  crates. 


IttS  PEACH    CULTURE. 

CHAPTER  XVL 
TRANSPORTATION. 

THE  subject  of  Transportation  has  been,  and  still  is,  one 
of  great  interest  and  considerable  difficulty,  as  well  as  the 
source  of  no  small  amount  of  bad  feeling  to  peach  growers 
on  the  Delaware  Peninsula.  The  peach  trade  is  itself  of 
comparatively  recent  date.  In  1860  it  was  insignificant; 
in  1870  it  had  increased  to  between  two  and  a  half  mil- 
lions of  baskets;  in  1875  it  was  estimated  between  six 
and  eight  millions.  Since  the  last-mentioned  year  we 
have  not  had  so  large  a  crop ;  not  because  we  have  not 
had  the  trees  to  bear  them,  but  because  they  have  never 
all  borne  at  once;  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  if  all  our  trees 
should  bear  a  full  crop  at  any  time  there  could  not  be 
found  markets  enough  in  which  to  sell  them,  nor  trans- 
portation enough  to  convey  them  to  their  various  desti- 
nations. At  first,  the  charge  for  transportation  by  rail 
to  Philadelphia  was  six  cents  per  basket,  and  to  New 
York  twelve.  But  the  charges  have  been  constantly  in- 
creasing ever  since,  until  in  1867  they  were  to  Philadel- 
phia thirteen,  and  to  New  York  thirty- six  and  a  half 
cents.  On  a  comparison  of  the  charges  on  peaches  with 
those  for  transportation  of  other  articles,  the  unreason- 
ableness was  so  apparent  that  great  dissatisfaction  was 
felt  amongst  growers,  and  means  of  redress  were  sought. 

For  this  purpose  a  convention  of  Fruit  Growers  was 
held  in  the  capitol  at  Dover,  on  the  15th  of  October,  1867, 
and  a  permanent  organization  effected  under  the  name  of 
the  "Peninsula  Fruit  Growers9  Association."  One  of 
the  main  objects  of  this  association  was  to  obtain  a  reduc- 
tion of  freight  to  New  York.  A  large  committee  of  influ- 


TEAKSPOKTATIOK.  93 

ential  and  intelligent  gentlemen  was  appointed  to  confer 
with  the  officers  of  the  railroad  companies,  and  endeavor 
to  make  a  satisfactory  arrangement.  Several  conferences 
took  place  accordingly,  and  a  reduction  nearly  equival- 
ent to  ten  cents  per  basket  was  obtained  for  the  year,  1868. 
But  as  there  were  no  peaches  that  year,  it  amounted  to 
no  practical  advantage.  It  was  not  satisfactory,  anyhow, 
to  a  large  portion  of  the  peach  growers,  and  very  justly 
so;  for  the  charges  were  still  extortionate,  and  totally 
unjustifiable  on  any  principle  of  right  and  wrong;  being 
about  four  times  as  much  as  for  any  other  freight  of  its 
class.  Indeed  the  object  of  the  railroad  companies 
seemed  to  be  to  appropriate  in  the  form  of  freights  all 
the  profits  of  the  crop,  and  leave  the  growers  only  enough 
to  pay  for  production,  picking  and  selling.  But  this  un- 
just and  dishonest  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  railroad 
companies  had  the  effect  of  arousing  public  indignation, 
and  directing  public  attention  to  other  means  of  transpor- 
tation. It  was  soon  found  that  most  of  the  fruit  could 
be  sent  much  cheaper  and  in  much  better  order  by  water; 
and  now  lines  of  steamers  are  forming  between  New  York 
and  Philadelphia,  and  the  several  harbors  on  the  bay-side. 
In  order  that  interior  growers  may  reach  the  bay,  a  steam- 
tug  is  to  be  employed  in  every  creek  to  convey  schooners 
and  other  small  craft  down  the  creeks  to  the  principal 
stations.  By  this  means  most  of  the  fruit  can  be  carried 
to  the  great  cities  in  good  time,  in  better  order,  and 
much  cheaper  than  if  sent  by  rail.  The  rates  have  not 
yet  been  permanently  fixed,  but  it  is  believed  they  will 
not  vary  much  from  fifteen  cents  per  basket  to  New  York, 
or  a  little  over  half  what  they  are  by  railroad.  For  seven 
years  prior  to  1889,  no  peaches  have  been  carried  to 
New  York  by  water. 

Besides  this,  there  are  new  lines  of  roads  building, 
which  will  afford  still  greater  facilities,  and  reduction  of 
freights. 


94  PEACH  CULTURE. 

Since  this  was  written  the  railroad  management  naa 
made  some  concessions,  and  transportation  by  water  to 
New  York  has  ceased.  It  is  still  continued  from  some 
localities  to  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia. 

The  route  and  line  by  which  to  ship  the  fruit,  what- 
ever they  may  be,  should  be  selected  as  early  as  conven- 
ient, that  is,  as  soon  as  all  the  accessible  information  can 
be  obtained.  The  next  thing  to  be  looked  after,  is  the 
engagement  of  the  requisite  number  of  cars  or  boats,  and 
to  arrange  the  time  of  their  departure  and  arrival. 
Peaches  are  perishable,  and  it  will  not  do  to  leave  their 
transportation  to  the  opportunities  or  contingencies  of  the 
hour.  A  complete  running  schedule  must  be  fixed  upon, 
and  must  be  run  with  certainty,  or  the  shipper  may  sul- 
fer  great  loss  during  the  season.  Punctual  and  early 
arrival  is  of  the  highest  importance  to  growers  and  ship- 
pers. The  early  market  is  always  the  best.  Buyers  can- 
not safely  wait  for  late  receipts,  and  will  not.  The  con- 
sequence is  that  the  same  quality  and  quantity  of  fruit 
will  bring  twenty  per  cent  more  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning  than  two  hours  later. 

Beginning  with  1884  a  new  and  direct  trade  has  grown 
up  with  "Western  and  Northern  cities.  Buyers  from 
these  come  to  the  principal  shipping  points,  buy  the 
fruit  from  the  producers,  and  ship  it  to  their  home 
markets.  The  method  is  to  load  a  car  to  its  full  ca- 
pacity, lock  it  up,  and  dispatch  it  to  the  respective  con- 
signees. The  fruit  and  baskets  go  together,  and  the 
latter  are  never  returned.  The  railroads  make  specia. 
terms,  and  necessarily  fast  time.  This  manner  of  mar- 
keting has  been  found  by  far  the  most  satisfactory.  The 
buyers  see  the  fruit  before  it  is  loaded  or  bought,  and 
know  exactly  what  it  is ;  the  seller  gets  his  money  at 
home  without  risk,  delay,  or  deduction  for  freight  or 
commissions.  And,  as  the  baskets  are  sold  with  the 
fruit,  all  irritating  complaints  and  contentions  about 
them  are  avoided. 


CONSIGNEES  95 

CHAPTER  XVIL 

CONSIGNEES. 

IK  the  cities  of  Philadelphia  and  New  York  there  is  a 
class  of  men  known  as  commission  merchants  and  prod- 
uce dealers.  They  have  stands  or  stalls  in  the  markets, 
or  in  some  of  the  streets  where  fruits  and  vegetables  are 
principally  sold.  But  their  more  profitable  and  impor- 
tant business  in  a  fruitful  season  is  to  sell  fruit,  and  espe- 
cially peaches,  on  commission.  The  distance  between 
Philadelphia  and  the  center  of  the  peach  district  being 
only  about  seventy-five  miles,  the  time  very  short,  and 
only  the  smaller  portion  of  the  crop  sent  there,  the  com- 
mission men  seldom  make  any  very  special  effort  to  obtain 
the  trade,  or  arrangement  for  its  delivery.  They  rely  upon 
the  ordinary  provisions  of  the  roads  and  steamboats.  But 
not  so  with  those  of  New  York.  A  large  portion  of  the 
crop  is  sent  there ;  the  competition  for  the  trade  is  very 
brisk,  and  consequently  strong  and  earnest  efforts  are 
made  to  secure  the  patronage.  Hence,  as  soon  as  it  is  as- 
certained, to  a  reasonable  certainty,  that  there  will  be  a 
crop,  the  commission  men  visit  the  peach  district  in  per- 
son, or  send  expert  agents,  to  secure  consignments  and 
engage  cars  and  shipping  agents.  They  first  estimate 
the  crop;  then  engage  the  number  of  cars  requisite  to 
transport  the  consignments  that  will  be  made  to  them; 
and  then  the  local  shippers  at  the  different  stations  where 
peaches  are  to  be  delivered.  This  completes  the  arrange- 
ment at  the  producing  end  of  the  line.  At  the  sale  end, 
carts  are  engaged  to  haul  the  fruit  from  Jersey  City,  the 
end  of  the  railroad  line,  to  points  of  sale  or  re-shipment  in 
New  York.  A  portion  of  the  fruit  is  sold  at  the  stands  of 


96  PEACH  OULTUKE. 

the  consignees ;  the  rest  is  sold  to  ot'ner  parties  at  whole- 
sale, and  reshipped  to  Boston,  Providence,  Albany,  Mont- 
real, and  elsewhere.* 

Most  of  the  consignees  are  upright,  honest  men,  who 
do  a  fair  and  legitimate  business,  on  business  principles  ; 
but  a  few  of  them  are  swindlers  and  sharpers,  whose  sole 
object  is  to  make  money  for  the  time,  and  who  have  no 
reputation  to  lose,  and  who  do  not  aim  to  gain  one. 
These  are  unscrupulous  in  their  statements,  importunate 
in  their  solicitations  for  consignments,  and  wholly  unre- 
liable in  making  returns.  They  often  advertise  in  relig- 
ious papers,  obtain  some  credulous,  or  good  natured  man, 
to  certify  to  their  characters  and  qualifications,  obtain 
consignments  upon  the  faith  of  them,  and  cheat  their 
dupes  out  of  all  they  send  them.  This  may  be  regarded 
as  the  most  disreputable  class.  There  is  another,  how- 
ever, as  dishonest,  but  more  politic.  The  members  of 
this  class  wish  to  maintain  good  reputations,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  fill  their  pockets  with  what  justly  belongs  to 
others.  They  do  it  in  one  or  other  of  these  ways  :  The 
fruit  consigned  to  them  is  nearly  always  of  different 
grades;  from  very  good  to  poor.  If  they  have  stands  of 
their  own,  where  they  sell  by  retail,  they  will  select  a 
portion,  it  may  be  a  fifth,  a  fourth,  or  a  third,  of  the 
choisest  for  themselves,  and  sell  the  remainder  at  an 
average  price  of  seventy-five  cents  per  basket,  which  may 
be  a  fair  enough  price  for  such  fruit.  But  the  fruit  the 
dealer  has  taken  to  his  own  stand  would  readily  bring  a 
dollar  and  a  half  per  basket.  However,  he  returns  the 
whole  consignment  at  seventy-five  cents,  and  pockets  the 
difference.  To  illustrate.  Let  us  suppose  Peter  Pence 
consigns  to  John  Sly  two  hundred  and  fifty  baskets  of 
graded  peaches.  Fifty  are  very  fine ;  one  hundred  are 
good  ;  seventy-five  are  fair ;  and  twenty-five  are  poor. 

*  For  several  years  past  shipments  have  been  made  direct  to  most 
Northern  cities  and  to  all  named  in  the  list,  and  consequently  much 
fewer  reshipments  from  New  York. 


CONSIGNEES.  97 

The  proper  market  price  would  be  thus  presented : 

50  Baskets  fine  at  $1.50  per  basket,  675.00 

100      "     good "    1.00  "        «      100.00 

75      "     fair    «       75  "        "        56.25 

25      "     poor "       50  "        "        12.50 

Total,        .        .        .        $243.75 
200  Baskets  at  75  cents        .  150.00  i 

The  difference  is       .         $93.75 

Or  if  the  consignee  is  very  smart,  and  wishes  to  make 
a  pretense  of  great  exactness,  he  will  make  out  a  detailed 
account  thus : 

50  Baskets  at  $1.00  .        .        .    $50.00 

100      "       "75  .                   75.00 

75      «       «       50  .        .        .      37.50 

25      "       "40  .                   10.00 

Total,     ....  $172.50 
Difference,          .       .        $71.25 

This  difference  the  dishonest  consignee  pockets,  and 
absolutely  cheats  his  confiding  customer  out  of  this 
amount  in  a  single  transaction.  Others  manage  it  differ- 
ently. Sell  for  all  they  can  and  return  what  they  please. 
If  the  market  is  very  good,  and  prices  high,  they  may 
sell  a  whole  consignment  at  $1.50  per  basket,  and  return 
$1.25,  or,  if  the  market  is,  on  the  contrary,  glutted,  they 
may  sell  for  75  cents,  and  return  65,  and  so  on ;  their 
returns  depending  altogether  upon  their  own  cupidity, 
fear  of  detection,  or  loss  of  patronage.  We  have  reliable 
information  that  some  parties  have  actually  made  enough 
in  a  single  season  from  these  swindling  operations  to 
retire  from  business  altogether.  And  we  know  one  firm 
whose  business  was  very  extensive,  but  whose  dereliction 
7 


98  PEACH  CULTURE; 

in  this  respect  was  so  gross  that  not  a  single  planter  pat- 
ronized them  a  second  season.  They  run  clear  out. 

Such  gross  fraud  can  hardly  occur  in  any  other  busi- 
ness ;  but  is  comparatively  easy  in  this.  The  fruit  is 
perishable  ;  it  has  no  standard  value ;  the  market  prices 
fluctuate  with  the  supply,  the  temperature,  and  even  the 
hour  of  its  arrival.  Hence  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
know,  or  even  guess,  what  it  should  bring.  And  this  is 
the  reason  that  consignors  cannot  protect  themselves 
against  these  fraudulent  practices.  Their  only  safety  is 
in  the  honesty  of  their  consignees.  Of  this  they  judge 
by  the  season's  returns.  If  they  are  consistent  through- 
out the  season,  and  a  fair  average  price  is  realized,  the 
planter  is  usually  satisfied.  One  ships  to  one  agent,  and 
another  to  another.  They  can  compare  notes.  If  the 
man  who  has  the  worst  peaches  gets  the  best  price,  the 
other  may  be  reasonably  certain  he  has  been  cheated. 
But  if  the  fruit  is  equally  good,  and  the  price  for  the 
same  days  nearly  the  same,  both  may  reasonably  conclude 
they  have  been  honorably  dealt  with.  The  rule  is  not 
infallible :  for  there  may  be  collusion,  or  both  may  be 
equally  dishonest. 

But  the  planter  can  do  nothing  more  than  exercise  his 
best  judgment  in  the  selection  of  his  consignee.  It  is 
very  important  he  should  do  this  ;  and  after  he  has  gained 
all  the  information  he  can,  he  will  at  last  have  to  com- 
mit himself  to  the  keeping  of  somebody,  and  run  the 
risks  which  are  incident  to  his  business. 

Old  shippers  are  wary  and  alert.  New  ones  should 
consult  them,  and  avail  themselves  of  their  advice ;  re- 
membering the  old  proverb,  that  "  experience  teaches  a 
dear  school." 

Then  again,  abuses  may,  and  should  be,  remedied ;  and 
if  the  planters  on  the  Peninsula  would  but  consult  their 
own  interest  abuses  would  soon  cease.  The  cure  is  in 
their  own  hands.  But  it  requires  combined  action,  and 


CONSIGNEES.  99 

herein  lies  the  difficulty.  There  is  not  one  of  them  who 
would  not  willingly  and  cheerfully  give  ten  times  the  time 
and  money  necessary  to  effectuate  the  object  could  he  do 
so  individually ;  but  because  it  requires  united  efforts, 
meetings,  differences,  and  discussions,  it  is  not  done,  and 
thousands,  yes,  tens  of  thousands  of  dollars  are  lost  every 
year.  One  object  of  the  Peninsula  Fruit  Growers'  Asso- 
ciation was  to  insure  unity  of  interest  and  purpose.  With 
this  view,  it  embraced  the  entire  Peninsula,  which  fur- 
nishes nearly  all  the  peaches  sent  to  Philadelphia  and 
New  York.  But  so  far,  it  has  not  enlisted  nearly  all  the 
planters.  Most  of  the  large  ones,  it  is  true,  are  members, 
but  still  a  large  number  have  stood  aloof,  and,  while  it  is 
believed  they  approve  of  the  Association  and  its  aims,  yet 
Jhey  have  not  taken  interest  enough  in  it  to  give  it  their 
active  support.  Some  of  them  expect  to  reap  the  ad- 
vantages without  the  incidental  expenses  of  time  and 
money.  Others  do  not  unite  from  the  mere  force  of  a 
habit,  which  repels  them  from  all  associations  whatever. 
In  this  way  the  Association  is  not  able  to  do  all  the  good 
it  otherwise  might.  Did  it  include  all  the  planters  of 
the  Peninsula,  as  was  intended  by  its  founders,  it  is  easily 
seen  ifc  would  control  the  peach  market,  and  might  dic- 
tate its  own  terms.  One  of  its  first  and  most  obvious 
objects  then  would  be  to  establish  a  depot,  or  mart,  of  its 
own  in  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  where  all  its  fruit 
would  be  sold  by  its  own  agents.  This  would  dispense 
with  consignees  or  middle  men  altogether,  and  would  be 
a  benefit  to  both  producer  and  consumer ;  as  the  latter 
would  be  better  served,  at  no  greater,  if  not  a  reduced, 
price,  while  the  former  would  obtain  what  the  fruit  was 
worth  in  the  market.  Until  this  be  done,  the  planters 
need  not  expect  to  avoid  imposition  and  fraud. 


100  PEACH  CULTURE. 


THE  DELAWARE  FRUIT  EXCHANGE. 

This  was  organized  a  few  years  ago.  Its  headquarters 
are  at  Wyoming,  and  it  is  establishing  branches  at  prom- 
inent points  throughout  the  Peninsula,  And  during 
the  recent  summer  of  1887,  the  "Bureau  of  Information 
and  Distribution  "  has  been  organized  to  co-operate  with 
the  Exchange.  The  objects  of  both  are  the  same,  to 
obtain  a  good  market  for  the  fruit,  but  the  methods  are 
slightly  variant. 

The  Exchange  seeks  to  induce  all  growers  to  unite,  and 
agree  to  sell  their  fruit  at  the  various  stations  through  the 
Exchange,  so  that  buyer  and  seller  may  meet  face  to  face 
and  at  the  home  of  the  setter,  where  the  fruit  is  raised 
and  shipped.  The  sale  is  by  auction,  and  a  commission 
of  a  cent  a  basket  is  charged  for  selling.  The  trouble 
heretofore  is  to  get  all  interested  in,  and  to  join  the 
Exchange.  Wherever  put  in  operation  it  has  worked 
admirably  and  given  great  satisfaction. 

The  "  Bureau  "  is  more  thorough  and  comprehensive, 
and  much  more  elaborate  and  complicated.  It  has  the 
same  aim  as  the  "Exchange,"  and  proposes  to  work 
with  it ;  but  it  assumes  that  all  buyers  will  not  come  to 
the  "Exchange,"  and,  consequently,  that  all  the  fruit 
cannot  be  sold  at  home  ;  and,  therefore,  that  other  means 
for  marketing  it  must  be  sought,  hence  it  proposes  to 
unite  all  growers  in  one  grand  organization  for  mutual 
advantage  ;  and  to  secure  the  best  results  the  following 
scheme  is  proposed  by  its  author,  John  P.  E.  Polk, 
esquire: 

1. — Said  Bureau  shall  have  an  Executive  Committee, 
composed  of  seven  members,  who  shall  be  elected  an- 
nually on  the  second  Thursday  of  May  of  each  year,  at  a 
meeting  of  the  members  of  the  Bureau,  then  to  be  held 


THE  DELAWAEE  FBUlT 

in  Dover,  Delaware ;  but  said  Committee  shall  continue 
in  office  until  a  new  one  be  elected,  in  case  any  delay 
occurs  in  such  election.  Said  Executive  Committee  shall 
appoint  a  Distributor  of  ability  and  a  Secretary  and 
Treasurer  and  pay  them  such  salaries  as  it  may  deem 
adequate. 

2. — The  Distributor,  and  Secretary  and  Treasurer, 
shall  give  bonds  for  the  faithful  performance  of  their 
duties. 

3. — The  Distributor  shall  have  full  authority  to  regu- 
late the  consignment  of  all  cars  of  peaches  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Bureau,  in  the  manner  herein  set  forth, 
and  in  accordance  with  such  further  regulations  as  may 
become  necessary. 

4. — The  Distributor  shall  be  located  wherever  the 
headquarters  of  the  Delaware  Eailroad  system  is  main- 
tained. 

5. — The  Distributor  shall  keep  a  map  and  list  of  all 
towns  or  cities  (within  forty-eight  hours'  communication 
by  railroad)  that  can  daily  consume,  at  profitable  prices, 
one  or  more  carloads  of  peaches. 

6. — The  Distributor  shall  establish  the  quota  of  each 
of  said  towns  and  cities. 

7. — When  300  baskets  of  fruit  are  loaded  in  a  car  (and 
not  before),  and  the  Bureau's  local  agent  has,  on  the  day 
of  shipment,  endorsed  0.  K.  on  a  telegram  or  message 
to  that  effect,  any  member  or  members  of  the  Bureau, 
or  his  or  their  agent,  shall  forward  said  telegram  or 
message  to  the  Distributor,  mentioning  therein  the  num- 
ber of  the  car,  the  owner's  name,  the  consignee,  and  the 
destination  whither  he  or  they  desire  said  car  to  be 
consigned. 

8. — The  Distributor,  on  receipt  of  such  communica- 
tion, if  the  quota  of  the  town  or  point  thus  selected  be 
not  already  filled,  shall  telegraph  or  reply  to  said  mem- 
ber or  agent,  "  Your  car,  number ,  is  consigned 


PEACH  CULTURE. 

to "  (the  point  named  by  said  member  or 

agent).  If  the  quota  of  the  town  so  selected  had  that 
day  been  previously  filled,  the  Distributor  shall  so  state, 
and  the  owner  or  agent  may  then  in  a  similar  manner 
select  some  other  town  whose  quota  is  not  filled. 

9. — Whenever  any  member  or  agent  shall  wilfully  or 
by  mistake  consign  a  car  to  any  town  or  point  whose 
quota  is  already  full,  the  Distributor  shall  have  absolute 
authority  to  change  the  destination  of  said  car  to  some 
point  whose  quota  is  not  complete. 

10. — The  Bureau  shall  be  accountable  to  the  owner  for 
the  sale  of  any  car  of  fruit  whose  destination  is  changed 
by  the  Distributor  without  said  owner's  or  his  agent's 
approval. 

11. — The  proceeds  of  sale,  from  all  cars  of  fruit  thus  ar- 
bitrarily transferred  by  the  Distributor  shall  be  returned 
by  draft  to  him,  and  he  shall  immediately  endorse  the 
same  to  the  Treasurer,  who  shall  forthwith  forward  said 
returns,  minus  the  regular  commission,  to  the  owner  or 
owners  of  said  fruit. 

12. — The  Executive  Committee  shall  select  the  most 
available  commission  house  in  each  town  or  city  whither 
shipments  are  contemplated,  and  obtain  a  suitable  bond 
from  said  house  to  secure  faithful  sales  and  prompt  re- 
turns for  all  carloads  of  fruit  shipped  to  said  house  by 
the  Distributor. 

13. — The  Executive  Committee  shall  locate  a  black- 
board (with  the  list  thereon  of  all  towns  or  cities  whither 
shipments  can  be  made)  at  every  Railroad  Station  from 
which  any  members  ship  peaches,  and  as  soon  as  the 
quota  of  any  town  or  point  is  filled  for  the  day  the  Dis- 
tributor shall  telegraph  such  fact  to  all  such  Railroad 
Stations  and  have  said  information  posted  on  said  boards. 

14. — All  members  of  the  Bureau  whose  orchards  (aged 
four  years  or  more)  consist  of  3,000  fruit  trees  or  less 
shall  pay  five  dollars  as  an  annual  fee  or  assessment;  mem- 


THE  DELAWARE  FRUIT  EXCHANGE.  103 

bers  whose  orchards  consist  of  over  3,000  and  not  over 
5,000  fruit  trees  shall  pay  an  annual  fee  of  eight  dollars, 
and  all  other  members  shall  pay  an  annual  fee  of  ten 
dollars ;  said  fees  shall  be  paid  to  the  Treasurer  of  the 
Bureau  in  advance,  and  if  not  paid  by  the  fifteenth  of 
August  in  each  year  the  Treasurer  shall  deduct  the  fee 
from  the  returns  (if  any)  of  any  delinquent  member  that 
may  pass  through  his  office. 

15. — The  Distributor  may  be  removed  from  his  office 
at  any  time  by  a  majority  of  the  Executive  Committee. 

16. — Sufficient  clerical  and  telegraphic  force  shall  be 
furnished  by  the  Executive  Committee  to  the  Distrib- 
utor to  properly  perform  the  duties  pertaining  to  his 
department. 

17. — The  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee,  or 
any  four  members  thereof,  may  at  any  time  call  a  meet- 
ing of  said  Committee. 

18. — The  Distributor  shall  employ  a  telegraphic  or  other 
agent  at  each  Station  from  whence  members  ship  their 
peaches. 

19. — The  Treasurer  shall  make  such  disposition  of  the 
funds  of  the  Bureau  as  the  majority  of  the  Executive 
Committee  may  direct. 

20. — The  Distributor's  agent  at  each  Station  shall  keep 
a  book  in  which  all  telegraphic  reports  of  the  markets 
shall  be  entered,  and  said  book  shall  be  open  for  the 
sole  inspection  of  the  members  of  the  Bureau  at  all 
times. 

21.— The  Executive  Committee  shall,  whenever  prac- 
ticable, make  arrangements  with  its  commission  men  to 
charge  the  Bureau  less  than  the  regular  commission,  and 
this  difference  shall  accrue  to  the  Treasury  of  the  Bureau 
to  assist  in  paying  the  working  expenses. 

22. — This  Bureau  is  hereby  organized  as  a  part  of  the 
Delaware  Fruit  Exchange,  but  the  Bureau's  accounts 


104  PEACH  CULTURE. 

and  funds  shall  be  kept  separate  from  the  general  ex- 
change fund. 

23. — Nothing  in  the  rules  of  the  Bureau  shall  be  so 
construed  as  to  prevent  members  from  selling  their  fruit 
at  the  home  Fruit  Exchanges,  or  otherwise,  at  any  time; 
or  from  shipping  by  water,  entirely  under  the  owner's 
control. 

By  this  means  it  is  proposed  to  reach  and  supply  every 
town  within  a  thousand  miles  of  the  shipping  points, 
and  fruit  for  several  years  back  has  been  shipped  daily 
and  successfully  as  far  west  as  Cincinnati  and  Chicago. 


LADDEKS. 


105 


CHAPTER 


LADDERS. 

The  ladders  used  in  the  peach  orchard  are  about  ten 
feet  high,  and  are  self-supporting.  They  are  all  of  one 
general  model,  although  differing  somewhat  in  construc- 
tion. The  most  approved  is  made  of  two  boards,  six  in- 
ches wide  and  one  thick,  for  the  sides;  into  these  are 
grooved  and  mortised  steps  of  the  same  width.  On  the 
top  there  is  a  board  about  eight  or  ten  inches  broad  for 
setting  the  basket,  and  also  for  the  picker  to  stand  on 


Fig.  15.— STEP  LADDER.  Fig.  16.— CHEAP  LADDER. 

while  picking  the  highest  peaches.  Through  the  top  runs 
an  iron  rod,  or  wooden  rung,  which  fastens  the  support. 
This  latter  consists  of  two  poles  or  narrow  pieces  of  scant- 
ling, fastened  together  by  cross-bars,  such  as  shingling 
lath,  which  rotates  on  the  rod  or  rung,  and  can  be  drawn 
out  from,  or  up  to,  the  steps  at  will.  Both  the  ladder  and 
support  are  wider  at  the  bottom  than  at  the  top,  which 
insures  against  toppling  over. 
A  simple  and  cheaper  ladder  is  made  by  taking  four 


106  PEACH   CULTURE. 

pieces  of  shingling  lath  of  the  required  length,  nailing 
two  strips  of  the  same  material  opposite  each  other  on  two 
of  them  for  a  step,  and  as  many  thus  as  there  may  be 
steps  required,  and  a  board  across  the  top  ones  for  a  rest 
for  the  basket.  Then  take  the  other  two  pieces  of  lath, 
and  connect  them  by  single  rods  or  rungs  for  the  support, 
boring  holes  through  them  at  the  top  for  the  connecting 
rod  with  the  steps.  The  upper  edges  of  the  strips  in  the 
ladder  proper  serve  instead  of  the  regular  step  in  the  first 
described.  In  order  to  stand  firmly,  the  ladder  and  sup- 
port are  both  wider  at  the  bottom  than  at  the  top  as  the 
first. 

Various  other  contrivances  are  used  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

SHIPPING. 

In  this,  as  in  most  other  business,  there  is  a  class  of 
men  called  shippers.  They  are  generally  in  connection 
with  the  consignees  in  the  city,  and  divide  the  commissions. 
They  are  always  identified  with  the  local  interest,  and 
generally  have  the  confidence  of  the  planters.  They  en- 
gage cars,  employ  hands  to  receive  the  fruit  from  the 
wagons,  and  store  it  properly  in  them.  They  are  a  very 
useful  adjunct  to  the  trade  as  at  present  conducted ;  but 
if  the  railroad  companies  would  do  their  duty,  and  employ 
faithful  and  efficient  agents  in  sufficient  force,  there 
would  be  no  need  whatever  of  shippers,  so  cal'ed,  and 
the  expense  of  their  employment  would  be  altogether 
saved  to  the  planter.  But,  as  these  companies  have  hither- 
to failed  altogether  in  their  duty  in  this  regard,  shippers 


SHIPPING. 

are  a  necessity,  except  to  the  large  planters,  who  can 
charter  their  own  cars.  For  it  will  not  justify  a  man  wtr 
has  only  a  few  thousand  baskets  to  sell,  to  go  to  much 
trouble  and  expense  in  order  to  get  them  to  market ;  and 
he,  therefore,  finds  shippers  both  a  convenience  and  a 
profit. 

The  cars  are  prepared  especially  for  the  purpose.  They 
are  intended  to  carry  five  hundred  baskets,  weighing 
about  sixteen  thousand  pounds.  They  are  furnished  with 
shelving  to  receive  this  quantity.  The  shelving  consists 
of  stays  and  boards  to  set  the  baskets  on,  so  that  one  bas- 
ket does  not  rest  on  another,  and  thereby  injure  the  fruit. 
It  is  a  temporary,  movable  frame-work,  taken  down  and 
set  up  at  pleasure,  and,  in  fact,  at  every  loading.  In  filling 
a  car,  the  fruit  is  received  at  the  middle,  and  stowed  away 
at  each  end ;  the  shelves  being  put  up,  as  required,  from 
rear  to  the  center ;  when  filled,  the  doors  are  shut  and 
locked,  and  so  remain  until  they  reach  their  destination. 
The  cars  are  ventilated  in  order  to  keep  the  fruit  from 
heating  and  rotting.  When  the  weather  is  very  dry,  and 
the  road  dusty,  considerable  dust  is  introduced  through 
the  ventilators  ;  but,  as  the  cars  are  at  present  constructed, 
it  seems  unavoidable.  It  is  believed,  however,  that  by  a 
properly  constructed  and  furnished  car,  this  could  be 
effectually  pre"vented.  For  this  reason  it  is  much  prefer- 
able to  ship  in  boats  where  it  is  practicable. 

BOATS. 

Shipping  by  boats,  although  always  preferable  where  it 
can  be  done,  is  usually  attended  with  more  trouble  in  the 
first  instance.  The  railroad  is  prompt,  speedy,  and  punc- 
tual. All  this  the  boats  may  also  be,  and  usually  are.  But 
the  railroad  remains  constant  and  continuously  throughout 
the  year.  This  the  boats  cannot  be.  Except  during  the 
peach  season,  there  is  no  sufficient  trade  to  keep  them 
employed,  and  lines  have  to  be  extemporized  for  the 


108  PEACH    CULTURE. 

occasion.  This  requires  negotiation,  correspondence; 
interviews,  and  some  responsibility.  Some  people  do  not 
know  how  or  where  to  go  about  it ;  others,  are  too  cau- 
tious to  enter  upon  it ;  while  others,  again,  have  not  in- 
terest enough  to  undertake  it.  Were  it  not  for  the 
extortionate  charges  of  the  railroad  companies,  they  would 
transport  nearly  all  the  peaches.  As  it  is,  the  boats  take 
a  very  respectable  portion.  These  evils,  however,  will 
correct  themselves  as  the  importance  of  the  trade  increases. 
The  boats  will  either  make  complete  arrangements  for 
carrying  from  all  accessible  points ;  or  the  companies 
will  reduce  their  rates  by  rail  to  a  reasonable  figure.  At 
present  the  boats  carry  for  fifty  per  cent  less  than  the 
cars,  and  make  more  money  than  by  any  other  freight. 
Such  a  business  will  soon  attract  the  attention  of  steam- 
boat men  seeking  employment  for  their  vessels  ;  especially 
as  the  hight  of  the  peach  trade  occurs  at  a  season  when 
there  is  usually  a  dearth  in  other  freights. 


CHAPTER  XX. 
PICKING. 

The  planter,  having  procured  his  baskets,  selected  his 
route  and  means  of  transportation,  and  engaged  his  con- 
signee, now  patiently  awaits  the  maturity  of  his  fruit. 

The  picking  commences  with  the  earliest  varieties 
about  the  tenth  of  J  uly,  and  the  season  closes  with  the 
latest  about  the  end  of  September. 

But  in  old  orchards  there  are  often  some  trees  that  ripen 
their  fruit  in  advance  even  of  the  earliest  varieties.  They 
are  decayed  or  diseased,  and  the  fruit  is  not  perfect,  and 
often  small  and  of  very  inferior  flavor.  The  peaches  are 


PICKING. 


109 


called  "  Prematures  "  and,  although  very  inferior,  sell  for 
a  good  price,  simply  because  they  come  in  before  any  other. 
They  are  usually  bought  by  keepers  of  restaurants  for  pies. 
We  have  seen  them  sent  by  express  five  hundred  miles, 
and  sold  for  from  five  to  six  dollars  a  crate,  when  they 
then  would  not  have  brought  fifty  cents  at  home.  And 
afterwards,  we  have  seen  in  the  same  market,  the  choicest 
ripe  and  luscious  fruit  of  nearly  a  pound's  weight,  go  a  beg- 
ging for  purchasers  at  two  dollars  per  crate  !  Such  is  the 
influence  of  circumstances.  But  to  the  planter,  who  raises 
fruit  for  profit,  the  "  Prematures  "  are  of  more  value  than  the 
mature  peaches,  and  it  is  important  to  him  to  pick  them 
as  they  ripen,  and  send  them  off.  He  must,  therefore, 
provide  for  it  in  time.  The  quantity  is  so  small,  and  the 
coming  in  so  early,  that  no  special  peach  transportation 
will  have  been  provided ;  he  will,  therefore,  have  to  send 
by  express  or  the  ordinary  freight.  Some  people  suppose 
"  Prematures  "  unhealthy  :  but  we  have  used  them  habitu- 
ally in  our  family,  for  sauce  and  pies,  without  the  slightest 
bad  effect ;  and  as  they  come  in  advance  of  the  mature 
fruit,  we  relish  them  very  much.  We  never  use  them 
uncooked  ;  and  this  leads  us  to  say  a  word  on  unripe  fruit. 
Some  persons  are  so  nervously  anxious  to  get  in  early 
fruit  before  their  neighbors,  or  so  avaricious  and  indiffer- 
ent to  the  rights  of  others,  that  they  will  pick  their  fruit 
before  it  matures.  This  is  an  evil  that  must  be  corrected ; 
no  just  person  will  do  it,  because  he  knows  it  is  wrong ; 
he  knows  it  is  not  fit  to  use,  and  that  he  would  not  use  it 
himself.  To  sell  it  to  others,  is,  therefore,  a  violation  of 
the  golden  rule.  But  as  some  persons  do  not  govern 
themselves  by  the  principles  of  honor  and  religion,  but 
only  by  those  of  pure  selfishness,  it  is  necessary  for  the 
community  to  protect  itself  against  such.  We  therefore, 
advise  every  purchaser  to  reject  all  immature  fruit.  Buy 
it  at  no  price.  Let  no  commission  man  offer  it ;  and  those 
avaricious  sharks  will  soon  find  it  unprofitable  to  ship 


110  PEACH    CULTURE. 

immature  fruit,  and  the  market  will  not  be  burdened  with 
it.  Indeed  it  seems  a  sin  against  nature  to  pull  a  peach 
when  only  a  little  over  half  size,  green,  and  bitter,  when 
by  leaving  it  on  the  tree  a  few  days  longer,  it  would  in- 
crease in  size,  beauty,  sweetness,  and  wholesomeness. 

Ten  days  or  two  weeks  before  picking  commences  in 
earnest,  the  planter  looks  up  his  pickers.  Their  number 
will  depend,  of  course,  on  the  quantity  of  fruit  ripening 
daily.  If  he  has  ten  thousand  assorted  trees,  ripening  over 
the  whole  season,  he  will  not  need  nearly  so  many  as  if  he 
has  the  same  number  of  a  few  varieties,  ripening  together, 
or  nearly  so.  But  suppose  he  has  ten  thousand  trees. 
If  old  trees  A,hey  will  average,  with  a  full  crop,  about 
three  baskets  to  the  tree  ;  an  aggregate  of  thirty  thousand 
baskets.  In  a  season  of  sixty  days,  this  would  give  five 
hundred  baskets  a  day.  A  hand  is  allowed  to  pick  forty 
baskets,  which  would  require  a  force  of  twelve  hands,  con- 
stantly employed  in  picking.  If  the  fruit  is  of  two  or 
three  varieties  only,  it  will  ripen  in  twenty  days,  and  the 
force  required  will  be  thirty-six  hands.  If  the  trees  are 
young,  one  basket  to  the  tree  will  be  about  the  average ; 
and  less  than  one-third  the  force  will  be  required,  as  it  is 
easier  picking  from  young  trees  than  old.  From  these 
data,  any  one  can  estimate  how  many  hands  he  will  need. 

Expert,  skillful  hands  are  as  valuable  in  this  as  in  any 
other  work,  but  in  the  large  peach  growing  districts  it  is 
impossible  to  obtain  them.  When  the  planters  are  bless- 
ed with  a  full  crop,  every  available  man,  woman,  and  child 
is  in  requisition ;  and  all  they  can  do  is  to  secure,  as  far 
as  may  be,  trusty  leaders  who  will  have  an  eye  to  the  in- 
experienced and  careless.  When  engaged,  they  are  to 
hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  come  on  the  first  call. 

The  fruit  must  be  mature,  but  not  ripe,  when  picked. 
If  picked  too  soon,  it  will  shrink  by  the  time  it  gets  to 
market ;  the  color  will  not  be  good ;  the  flavor  will  be 
worse  ;  and  a  poor  price  will  be  had.  If  picked  too  late, 


PICKING.  Ill 

the  fruit  will  bruise  in  cartage ;  the  bruises  will  blacken  ; 
some  will  rot,  and  the  price  will  be  no  better  than  for  the 
former.  The  greatest  care  is,  then,  necessary  in  deciding 
the  exact  time  it  should  be  picked.  The  expert  will  have 
little  difficulty,  as  a  glance  of  the  eye,  in  most  cases,  will 
enable  him  to  tell ;  but  the  novice  will  often  be  puzzled, 
and  will  often  make  mistakes.  Besides  the  size  and  color, 
the  best  test  of  maturity  is  the  feel  of  the  peach.  In 
order  to  decide  in  a  doubtful  case,  the  picker  should  take 
the  peach  between  his  thumb  and  first  and  second  fingers, 
and  press  it ;  if  it  yields  to  the  pressure,  it  is  mature  and 
may  be  picked.  If  it  does  not,  it  is  yet  too  green ;  while  if 
the  peach  is  indented  by  the  pressure  it  is  already  ripe, 
and  cannot  be  safely  shipped  to  a  remote  distance.  This  is 
the  simplest  and  most  reliable  test  we  know.  Indeed  we 
regard  it  as  infallible;  and  fruit  picked  just  when  it  be- 
gins to  yield  to  the  pressure  may  be  shipped  five  or  six 
hundred  miles  by  express  without  danger.  In  most  varie- 
ties, we  may  add,  there  is  a  peculiar  transparency  of  the 
skin  at  maturity  that  enables  the  expert  to  say  without 
hesitation  that  the  fruit  should  be  picked  and  he  will 
very  seldom  need  anything  more  to  direct  him. 

On  the  morning  that  the  picking  commences,  the  hands 
assemble  at  a  designated  place  in  the  orchard ;  and  are  form- 
ed into  gangs  of  five,  ten,  or  more ;  and  have  certain  rows 
allotted  them.  In  forming  gangs,  care  is  taken  that  each 
has  its  proper  proportion  of  skill,  experience,  and  strength ; 
for  it  would  be  very  injudicious  to  put  all  the  good  hands 
in  one,  and  all  the  poor  ones  in  another.  Each  gang  is 
placed  in  charge  of  a  leader,  and  each  hand  is  furnished 
with  one  basket  or  more,  and  the  picking  begins.  The 
light  pickers  mount  the  trees,  the  tall  ones  stand  around  the 
tops  of  the  bending  limbs,  while  the  ladders  are  used  to 
reach  the  fruit  that  cannot  be  gathered  without  them. 
It  is  a  busy  time,  and  nimble  fingers  make  many  ups  and 
downs  in  securing  the  bright  blushing  fruit  Only  such  as 


112 


PEACH    CULTURE. 


18  sound  and  mature  is  pulled,  and  all  under  size,  defec- 
tive, or  spotted,  is  rejected.  Hundreds  of  baskets,  far 
sweeter,  more  wholesome,  and  prettier  than  the  prema- 
tures^ are  suffered  to  rot  under  the  trees,  or  fed  to  the 
hogs. 

When  the  baskets  are  fill,  they  are  kept  under  the 
trees,  to  be  gathered  up  by  men  with  wagons  or  carts. 
Many  planters  send  them  immediately  to  the  shipping 
depot,  to  be  put  aboard  the  boat  or  car  that  is  to  carry 
them  to  the  market.  But  this  is  not  the  best  way.  A 
better  plan,  and  the  one  adopted  by  experienced  shippers, 
is  to  have  careful,  skillful,  and  experienced  men  in  suffici- 
ent force  to  overhaul,  and  assort,  and  grade  every  basket. 
Where  this  is  done,  the  cutters  are  provided  in  the  orchard 
with  stands  made  of  loose  boards  laid  across  benches  of 
the  proper  height.  To  these  stands  the  pickers  bring 
their  baskets  as  soon  as  picked.  The  cullers  examine 
every  peach.  If  it  is  large  and  without  fault,  it  is  placed 
in  one  basket ;  if  sound  and  of  medium  size,  in  a  second  ; 
if  sound  but  small,  in  a  third  ;  and  if  too  ripe,  spotted,  or 
otherwise  defective,  in  a  fourth.  Others  prefer  doing 
this  at  the  shipping  point.  Three  grades  of  marketable 
fruit  are  thus  prepared,  and  it  is  found  by  observa- 
tion and  experience  that  it  sells  for  much  more  than  the 
same  would  do,  if  unassorted.  Indeed,  if  two  baskets  of 
mixed  fruit  were  sent  to  market  with  two  others  of  pre- 
cisely similar  quantity  and  quality,  but  well  assorted,  the 
probability  is  that  the  prime  basket  of  the  latter  class 
would  sell  for  as  much  money  as  both  of  the  first.  So 
much  has  appearance  to  do  with  the  price.  In  this  place 
we  suggest  and  recommend  to  planters  who  expect  to 
ship  peaches  annually,  to  paint  their  baskets  of  three 
different  colors,  to  receive  fruit  of  as  many  grades ;  and 
always  to  put  the  same  grade  in  the  same  color.  In  this 
way  your  consignees  will  be  able  to  tell  at  a  glance,  what 


PICKING.  113 

quality  of  peaches  you  have.     But  the  same  end  may  be 
attained  by  a  proper  discrimination  in  the  manifest. 

FACING. 

Facing  is  an  art.  It  consists  in  rounding  up  handsome- 
ly the  top  of  the  basket.  For  this  purpose,  a  few  of  the 
largest,  and  highest  colored  peaches  are  laid  aside  in  fill- 
ing it,  and  carefully  placed  on  the  top,  to  give  a  fine  ap- 
pearance. It  is  the  planter's  art  of  displaying  his  goods. 
It  is  sometimes  abused  by  the  knavish,  who  put  very  in- 
ferior fruit  in  the  bottom,  and  sometimes  even  of  other 
varieties,  and  then  "top  off"  with  the  very  finest,  in  order 
to  deceive  the  purchaser.  But  this  is  never  done  by  the 
honest  planter,  but  usually  by  middle  men,  who  engage 
in  shipping  only  for  a  season,  and  who  have  no  sense  of 
right  and  wrong,  and  no  character  to  lose.  The  former 
simply  does  it  to  make  a  favorable  impression,  and  al- 
ways, tacitly  at  least,  warrants  his  fruit  to  be  substan- 
tially the  same  throughout. 

During  the  picking  season,  the  trees,  as  a  rule,  should 
be  picked  once  a  day  at  least ;  some  planters  pick  their 
orchards  even  twice  a  day,  so  rapidly  does  the  fruit  ma- 
ture in  favorable  weather,  and  sometimes  every  other  day 
may  suffice. 

WAGONS. 

The  peach  business  has  originated  a  Peach  Wagon. 
This  is  used  by  large  growers,  and  especially  where  the 
fruit  has  to  be  carried  several  miles  to  a  shipping  point. 
The  genuine,  full-sized  peach  wagon,  will  carry  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-six  baskets,  and  is  drawn  by  four  draught 
horses.  It  is  in  all  respects  a  substantial  carriage.  The 
wheels  are  heavy  with  a  broad  tread.  The  springs  are 
strong,  but  very  elastic.  It  is  provided  with  a  strong, 
light,  flaring,  frame  bed,  arranged  with  tiers  of  shelves  or 
racks  for  the  baskets.  Baskets  shoulcl  never  be  allowed 

8 


114 


PEACH    CULTURE. 


to  stand  on  each  other,  as  that  would  compress  the  fruit, 
and  injure  its  appearance  at  least,  if  not  its  quality.  The 
wagon  is  coupled  long.  The  first  tier  will  contain  three  rows 
of  twelve  baskets  each ;  the  second  and  third  five  rows  each 
of  the  same  number ;  in  all  one  hundred  and  fifty-six.  These 
wagons  jam  the  fruit  very  little,  and  as  they  carry  such 
enormous  loads,  are  almost  indispensable  to  large  grow- 
ers. They  cannot  be  taken  into  orchards,  except  where 
wide  avenues  have  been  purposely  left  for  them.  In  other 
cases,  they  are  brought  to  the  entrance,  and  filled  from 
Dearborns,  as  ships  are  at  anchor  from  lighters  from  the 
chore. 


CHAPTER   XXL 

RETURNS. 

To  the  planter,  who  cultivates  for  profit,  the  returns 
are  the  most  interesting  part  of  the  business.  These  are 
accounts  of  sales  rendered  by  the  consignees,  which 
are  either  daily  or  weekly  as  may  be  agreed  upon. 
When  the  quantity  daily  shipped  is  large,  the  shipper 
usually  requires  daily  accounts  of  sales ;  if  small,  weekly. 
These  show  the  number  of  baskets  received  and  sold ;  if 
graded,  so  many  of  each  grade ;  and  the  price  received. 
From  these  accounts,  the  shipper  sees  at  a  glance  the  con- 
dition of  his  business,  and,  if  not  satisfactory,  can  take 
steps  to  advance  his  interest,  by  shipping  to  another 
market,  to  another  consignee,  and  so  on.  He  is  also  in- 
formed by  letter  or  telegram  of  the  condition  in  which 
his  fruit  arrived ;  the  precise  time  when  it  arrived  ;  and, 
if  either  has  been  faulty,  he  is  thus  advised  how  to  cor- 
rect it.  Letters  are  the  usual  medium  of  communication 
between  shippers  and  consignees ;  but  the  telegraph  is 


BETUKNS.  115 

often  brought  into  requisition,  especially  in  the  height  of 
the  season. 

Once  a  week,  at  least,  the  shipper  receives  an  account  of 
the  week's  sales,  and  a  check  for  the  net  proceeds.  This 
latter  is  more  specifically  a  return,  although  the  word  is 
sometimes  applied  indiscriminately  to  reports  and  returns 
This  account  shows  the  daily  receipts  and  sales  for  tin 
week  ;  the  price  obtained  ;  and  the  aggregate  amount. 

From  it  are  deducted  all  charges,  including  freights. 
The  balance  is  struck,  and  the  check  corresponds  with 
this  balance.  Neglect  to  render  these  returns  promptly 
is  very  annoying  to  planters  and  shippers,  and  very  in- 
jurious to  the  interests  of  consignees,  as  it  produces  dis- 
content, destroys  confidence,  and  ultimately  ruins  business. 

"EMPTIES.  " 

"  EMPTIES  "  are  the  baskets  and  crates  after  the  fruit  is 
sold.  We  might  almost  as  well  restrict  ourselves  to  baskets 
alone,  for  in  point  of  fact  the  crates  never  come  back. 
The  return  of  "  Empties "  is  a  part  of  the  business  in 
great  and  general  confusion,  and  needs  immediate  and 
radical  reform.  It  is  managed  somewhat  in  this  way : 
When  the  fruit  is  sold  to  reshippers,  as  much  of  it  is,  they 
furnish  their  own  packages,  into  which  it  is  placed  from 
the  original  baskets.  These  empty  baskets  are  now 
gathered  up  by  the  person  charged  with  that  special  duty. 
They  are  set  one  in  another.  If  he  is  competent  and  faith- 
ful, he  will  put  every  man's  baskets  in  a  separate  bundle. 
Each  bundle  will  contain,  as  near  as  may  be,  twenty-five 
baskets.  These  are  tied  tightly  together  by  a  strong 
cord,  passed  from  one  end  of  the  bundle  to  the  other.  A 
card,  with  the  owner's  name  and  addiess,  distinctly  mark- 
ed thereon,  is  then  tied  on  the  top  basket ;  but  should 
the  card  be  omitted  or  torn  off,  the  baskets  ought  to  g« 


116  PEACH     CULTURE. 

safely,  as  each  basket  has  either  the  shipper's  name  in  full, 
distinctly  marked  in  large  letters,  or  his  initials,  with  his 
address.  When  thus  prepared,  they  are  placed  in  the 
cars  which  brought  them,  and  returned  free  of  charge  to 
the  owner.  Under  the  present  system  this  is  the  way, 
professedly,  in  which  the  business  is  managed ;  but,  the 
actual  management,  in  most  cases,  is  much  worse.  If  the 
employe  is  careless,  he  mixes  people's  baskets,  and  the 
man  whose  name  is  on  the  card  gets  all,  or  has  to  assort 
them  at  the  shipping  point,  and  throw  out  what  are  not 
his,  and  the  others  hardly  ever  all  get  safely  home.  Some- 
times, they  are  so  badly  mixed  that  even  baskets  belong- 
ing to  shippers  living  at  different  parts  are  tied  together, 
and  thrown  out  at  the  first  station  at  which  any  one  of 
them  resides.  All  this  is  attributable  to  incompetency  or 
carelessness,  and  mostly  the  latter.  But  there  are  other 
delinquencies  more  reprehensible  still.  Where  the  con- 
signee has  a  stand  in  market,  much  of  the  fruit  is  taken 
there  to  be  sold  to  his  customers  at  retail,  and  the  prac- 
tice prevails  to  lend  the  purchaser  the  basket  to  take 
home  his  fruit.  He  often  forgets  or  neglects  to  return  it, 
and  the  delay  or  loss  falls  on  the  shipper,  when  it  should 
fall  on  the  consignee.  Sometimes  the  consignee  gets 
paid,  but  the  consignor  seldom.  Again,  sometimes  the 
consignee  sells  the  basket  with  the  fruit,  and  pockets  the 
price,  trusting  to  the  well-known  looseness  with  which 
this  part  of  the  business  is  managed  for  exemption  from 
all  charges  either  pecuniary  or  moral. 

The  subject,  however,  is  one  that  has  lately  elicited 
much  interest  and  inquiry  among  growers,  and  these 
abuses  are  likely  soon  to  be  reformed.  Shippers  now  in- 
sist that  baskets  shall  be  returned  or  paid  for ;  and  con- 
signees of  reputation,  and  who  expect  to  remain  in  the 
business  permanently,  are  acquiescing  in  the  demand,  and 
contracting  accordingly.  Growers  also  insist  on  prompti- 
tude in  returning  empties.  Heretofore,  it  was  thought  that 


MARKETS.  117 

if  they  were  returnad  any  time  during  the  season,  or  even 
after  the  season  is  over,  it  was  sufficient.  But  this  is  no 
longer  satisfactory  to  planters,  who  very  justly  complain, 
and  say,  that  the  use  of  the  basket,  of  which  this  delay 
deprives  them,  is  nearly  as  valuable  as  the  basket  itself ; 
that  baskets  coming  home  at  the  end  of  the  crop  are  not 
worth  half  what  they  were  at  the  beginning ;  and,  more- 
over, are  bleached  and  unattractive.  If  a  basket  suffi- 
ciently strong  to  carry  safely,  and  costing  only  a  few 
cents,  could  be  made  so  that  it  might  go  with  the  fruit, 
a  want  would  be  supplied  which  has  long  been  felt.  In 
this  case  the  purchaser  would  always  have  something  to 
put  his  fruit  in  at  a  very  small  cost,  which  he  would  will- 
ingly incur  for  the  convenience  ;  while  a  fruitful  cause  of 
vexation  and  loss  to  the  planter  would  be  removed.  Aa 
to  return  of  "  Empties,"  see  Chapter  XV. 


CHAPTER  XXIL 

MARKETS. 

NEW  YORK  city  is  the  peach  emporium  of  the  East, 
and  hither  are  sent  one-half  of  the  peaches  raised  on  the 
Delaware  Peninsula,  and  perhaps  three-fourths  of  all 
raised  in  New  Jersey.  A  very  large  proportion  of  this 
is  consumed  in  the  city.  The  remainder  is  reshipped 
to  Boston,  Albany,  Montreal,  and  other  northern  cities. 

Next  to  New  York,  stands  Philadelphia.  Her  market 
is  principally  supplied  from  two  sources.  First,  from 
peach  growers  residing  near  who,  from  acquaintance  and 
force  of  habit,  prefer  to  send  their  fruit  there,  rather 
than  to  a  more  remote  market  even  if  prices  are  higher. 
Secondly,  from  growers  on  the  waters  of  the  Chesapeake, 
who  can  ship  in  boats  to  Philadelphia,  but  not  so  conven- 


118  PEACH  CULTURE. 

iently  to  New  York.  These  could  reship  in  cars,  but  it 
would  be  attended  with  additional  expense  and  delay, 
which  the  higher  price  might  not  always  justify.  The 
Philadelphia  market  is  somewhat  limited,  and  the  ship- 
ments  made  thither  seldom  give  as  satisfactory  returns 
as  those  to  New  York.  Of  late  Baltimore  has  also  be- 
come an  important  market,  especially  for  Eastern  Shore 
growers. 

Beyond  these  cities  very  few  peaches  are  shipped  from 
the  great  peach  growing  centers.  But  planters  are  enquir- 
ing whether  they  may  not  do  better  by  seeking  out  more 
remote  markets,  and  shipping  directly  to  them. 

This  was  true  in  1870,  but  is  no  longer  so,  for  while 
more  peaches  are  yet  sent  to  New  York  than  any  other 
single  point,  yet  large  shipments  are  made  direct  to 
Northern,  Eastern,  and  Western  cities,  and  the  trade  to 
New  York  is  tending  year  by  year  to  a  local  one. 


CHAPTER  XXTTT. 

PBOFIT. 

THE  profit  of  peach  culture,  either  comparatively  or 
absolutely,  can  only  be  approximated,  and  that  in  a  gen- 
eral way.  When  we  see  a  man,  engaged  in  any  business 
acquiring  more  property,  improving  what  he  has,  and 
surrounding  himself  with  the  luxuries  and  elegances  of 
life,  we  certainly  conclude  that  the  business  is  profitable, 
and  that  he  understands  how  to  manage  it.  When  we  see 
another  engaged  in  the  same  business  working  hard,  going 
in  debt,  selling,  it  may  be,  a  portion  of  his  patrimony  to 
relieve  his  present  embarrassment)  we  conclude  as  certain- 
ly that  his  business  is  unprofitable  or  he  does  not  under- 
stand it.  So  it  is  in  peach  culture.  Whoever  understands 
it  and  attends  to  it  well,  does  well.  We  know  no  excep- 


119 

tions.  But  whoever  plants  an  orchard  and  lets  the  cat- 
tle destroy  it,  or  the  weeds  overrun  it,  or  the  borer  girdle 
it,  or  the  poverty  of  his  land  starve  it,  must  not  be  sur- 
prised if  he  fails  to  make  a  fortune.  He  must  not  ex- 
pect miracles. 

We  have  had  some  experience  and  more  observation, 
and  we  are  decidedly  of  opinion  that  no  field  crop  will 
pay  better  than  peaches  ;  but  they  will  not  pay  as  well  as 
gardening  and  trucking  where  there  is  a  convenient 
market. 

Take,  as  an  illustration,  an  orchard  of  ten  acres,  one 
thousand  trees,  when  the  trees  are  four  years  old.  The 
first  cost  of  the  trees  and  planting  we  estimate,  and  it  is 
very  nearly  the  truth,  at  $150.00 

Interest  for  four  years        ...      36.00 

Total  expense  till  it  comes  in        -     $186.00 
The  product  of  the  soil  in  corn,  potatoes,  etc.,  will  equal 
the  tillage  of  the  trees,  so  that  when  they  come  in  the 
orchard  will  be  in  debt         ....        $186.00 
We  estimate  the  first  crop  of  peaches  at  one  thou- 
sand baskets,  more  or  less,  which  are  worth  to  the 
planter,  on  the  tree,  thirty  cents,        -        -         $300.00 

This  pays  the  old  debt  and  interest,  and  leaves  $114. 00 
The  second  year  there  may  be  only  two  hun- 
dred baskets  ;  but  owing  to  a  scanty  crop  the 
price  is  doubled,  and  the  planter  gets  sixty  cents 
a  basket  on  the  trees,         ....  $120.00 

The  third  season,  a  full  crop,  three  thousand 
baskets,  worth  thirty  cents,        ...          $900.00 
The  fourth  year  is  a  total  failure        •        -  * 

Four  years  then  give  a  net  income  of        -     $1,134.00 

Which  is  equal  to  an  annual  rent  of        •          $283.50 
Or  an  annual  rent  per  acre  of       ...      $28.35 


120 


PEACH    CULTURE. 


These  estimates  are  made  on  the  basis  of  good  land  and 
good  tillage.  In  the  absence  of  either  or  both,  the  profits 
will  be  much  reduced ;  while  by  extra  culture,  skill,  and 
care  in  gathering  the  fruit  at  the  proper  time,  and  send- 
ing it  to  the  best  market,  they  may  be  increased,  but  in 
the  present  state  of  cultivation  and  markets,  they  are 
about  the  average. 

Hence  it  follows,  that  land  which  will  yield  forty  dol- 
lars an  acre,^?e/*  annum,  should  not  be  planted  in  peaches. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

CULTURE  AFTER  A  CROP. 

THE  culture  after  a  crop  should  be  prompt,  careful  and 
generous.  A  first  class  orchard  of  a  hundred  acres  may 
have  netted  its  owner  ten  thousand  dollars  in  a  single  sea- 
son. But  say  it  is  only  six  thousand,  or  even  five,  and 
!he  can  still  afford  to  return  to  the  soil  that  has  been  so 
productive  a  considerable  portion  of  this,  and  have  a 
handsome  sum  left.  The  liberal  and  intelligent  planter 
will  do  so  cheerfully,  and  thus  not  only  improve  greatly 
the  appearance  of  his  trees,  but  also  do  much  towards  in- 
suring a  crop  the  next  year;  while  the  niggardly  and 
short-sighted,  will  pocket  all  the  present  gains  and  leave 
his  trees  to  take  care  of  themselves  or  starve.  Good  cul- 
ture will  pay  as  well  with  peaches  as  any  thing  else ;  and 
the  old  proverb  :  "  Alwnys  taking  out  of  the  meal  tub, 
and  never  putting  any  thing  in,  you  will  soon  come  to  the 
bottom,"  is  as  applicable  to  them  as  to  the  family  flour- 
chest. 

As  soon  as  the  last  peach  is  gathered,  the  hogs  should 
be  turned  in  to  eat  up  the  refuse.  Two  purposes  will  be 


CULTURE  AFTER  A  CROP. 

effected  by  this.  The  hogs  will  fatten  on  the  decayed  and 
imperfect  fruit,  and  multitudes  of  embryo  insects  will  be 
destroyed.  Besides  they  will  root  about  the  trees,  and 
do  almost  as  much  good  ns  a  plowing.  If  there  are  no 
hogs  at  hand,  the  refuse  should  be  gathered  up  and  re- 
moved ;  but  this  is  seldom  done ;  and  the  more  common 
way  is  to  leave  all  on  the  ground,  and  run  the  risk. 

The  next  thing  is,  to  remove  carefully  all  feeble,  dead, 
and  broken  limbs.  This  should  quickly  follow  the  peach 
harvest.  The  feeble  limbs  are  such  as  are  near  the  ground, 
on  lower  branches,  and  have  been  so  far  deprived  of  the 
sap  by  the  upper  and  more  vigorous  ones  as  to  become 
unfruitful.  They  would  soon  die  at  any  rate,  and  it  is 
better  to  remove  them  at  once,  and  thus  give  more  room, 
as  well  as  more  sap  to  the  thrifty  and  fruit-bearing  ones. 
After  a  bountiful  crop,  many  broken  limbs  will  be  found  ; 
sometimes  even  the  whole  tree  will  be  demolished,  and 
apparently  ruined.  By  careful  and  judicious  pruning, 
however,  much  may  be  done  to  repair  the  injury  and  re- 
store the  tree  to  its  former  beauty  and  productiveness.  In 
a  healthy  tree,  the  vital  forces  of  the  roots  are  in  exact 
proportion  to  the  superficial  drafts  of  the  top.  When  the 
top  is  partially  removed,  the  demand  on  the  root  is  just 
so  far  diminished.  There  is  then  a  superabundance  of 
vital  power,  continually  seeking  a  channel  in  an  effort  to 
restore  the  proper  equilibrium.  In  consequence  of  this, 
the  remaining  branches  are  stimulated  to  extraordinary 
growth,  and  new  buds  shoot,  and  new  branches  are  form- 
ed. If  the  whole  top  has  been  removed,  the  disparity  be- 
tween the  root  and  the  stem  is  so  great  that  the  latter  puts 
out  buds  in  all  directions,  and  soon  becomes  one  mass  of 
twigs  and  leaves.  In  this  way  shade  trees  are  often  trained, 
their  foliage  thickened,  and  their  appearance  improved.  By 
attention  to  this  principle  in  arboriculture,  the  injured  fruit- 
tree  may  soon  be  almost  restored  to  its  original  beauty 
and  usefulness.  We  h:ive  seen  this  illustrated  at  least 


PEACH   CULTURE. 

twice  in  our  own  experience.  The  first  case  was  that  of 
a  beautiful  young  Bellflower  apple  tree,  the  one-half  of 
which  broke  down  under  an  enormous  load  of  fruit  the 
third  year  after  coming  in.  It  grew  near  a  high  board 
fence,  and  so  equally  was  it  divided  into  two  branches, 
that  had  it  not  been  for  the  fence,  we  believe  both  would 
have  parted,  and  fallen  in  opposite  directions.  As  it 
was,  only  one  could  fall,  but  in  doing  so,  it  split  the  stem 
down  to  within  less  than  two  feet  of  the  ground.  So  great 
was  the  injury  that  we  seriously  thought  of  digging  it  up 
altogether,  and  planting  another  in  its  stead ;  but  we  did 
not.  Although  broken  down,  it  did  not  separate  from 
the  main  stem,  and  the  fruit  matured  well.  When  it  war) 
gathered,  we  removed  the  fallen  branch  neatly  ;  cut  away 
a  few  of  the  lower  limbs  on  the  opposite  side,  shortened-in 
a  few  others,  and  awaited  the  result.  The  next  spring, 
young  branches  began  to  shoot  on  the  injured  side ;  they 
grew  very  rapidly,  filled  up  the  vacancy,  new  wood  cov- 
ered the  wound,  so  that  at  the  end  of  two  years,  no  one, 
unaware  of  the  accident,  would  have  suspected  that  the 
now  beautiful  tree  had  ever  sustained  injury. 

The  other,  was  that  of  some  natural  peach  trees  in  full 
bearing  that  we  wished  to  transform  into  choice  varieties 
of  budded  fruit.  For  this  purpose  we  cut  off  the  entire 
tops  just  above  the  spread,  and  budded  on  the  young 
wood  the  next  fall.  Two  years  after,  the  tops  were  as 
large,  and  much  handsomer  than  when  removed. 

The  planter  must  not  conclude  that  because  his  tree  is 
broken  down  it  is,  therefore,  destroyed.  By  proper  atten- 
tion it  may  soon  be  restored ;  and  when  we  reflect  that 
two  large  crops  scarcely  ever  follow  each  other  in  succes- 
sion, we  will  see  that  the  loss  is  really  but  trivial. 

As  soon  as  the  pruning  is  over,  the  trash  is  cleanly 
gathered  up  and  hauled  away  to  some  vacant  spot  to  be 
burned. 

After  this  the  root  of  every  tree  is  carefully  examined 


CtJLTtTRE   AFTEfc   A    CHOP. 

for  the  borers,  and  every  one  unrelentingly  destroyed. 
The  ground  is  then  nicely  plowed,  and  cultivated  down. 
as  heretofore  described.  This  should  all  be  done  by  the 
first  of  October.  But  sometimes  the  ripening  of  late 
•fruit  retards  the  plowing.  In  such  case,  the  pruning  and 
plowing,  may  properly  be  deferred;  but  the  worming 
never  can.  This  must  not  be  neglected  if  you  value 
fine  trees,  and  wish  to  preserve  them.  In  a  well  attended 
orchard,  the  labor  will  be  very  light ;  for,  owing  to  the 
vigilance  of  the  planter,  few  worms  will  ever  obtain  a 
lodgment  in  his  trees.  After  the  examination  of  each 
tree,  the  soil  is  carefully  replaced,  so  that  the  tender  neck 
of  the  stem  is  not  exposed. 

After  the  fall  plowing,  some  planters  give  their  peach 
orchard  a  top-dressing  of  lime ;  others,  later  in  the  season, 
of  barn-yard  manure ;  others,  again,  one  of  wood-ashes  or 
superphosphate  about  the  roots.  These  are  all  excellent ; 
and,  where  it  can  be  done,  should  not  be  omitted.  But 
all  are  more  or  less  expensive,  and  planters,  for  the  most 
part,  rely  on  tillage  alone,  and  some  even  stint  that.  We 
believe  that  any  orchard  that  is  worth  keeping  at  all  is 
worth  good  culture,  and  that  it  is  true  economy  to  apply 
lime,  phosphate,  and  manure  to  the  extent  of  the  reasona 
ble  requirements  of  the  orchard  and  the  planter's  ability. 

Whatever  dressing  the  orchard  gets,  it  should  be  in  the 
fall.  The  reason  of  this  is,  that  the  fertilizers  will  dissolvey 
soak  in,  and  reach  the  roots  during  the  winter,  and  in 
time  to  stimulate  and  strengthen  the  next  year's  growth ; 
and,  if  the  other  conditions  be  favorable,  greatly  tend  to 
the  production  of  a  crop. 

Later  in  the  season,  especially  if  the  ground  is  weedy 
or  grassy,  the  orchard  must  be  cultivated.  In  ordinary 
cases,  once  will  do,  but  sometimes  it  may  require  two 
dressings.  The  weeds,  or  grass,  must  not  be  permitted 
to  grow,  but  the  ground  should  be  kept  clear  and  smooth 
as  a  floor.  There  is  often  a  narrow  strip,  between  the 


124:  PEACH  CULTURE. 

trees  in  the  same  row,  not  caught  by  the  plow ;  this  must 
be  leveled  with  the  cultivator  or  hoe. 

We  need  scarcely  say  to  the  tasteful  planter  that  the 
head  rows  and  corners  should  be  kept  scrupulously  clean. 

The  culture  the  next  spring  is  as  described  for  young 
orchards. 

Some  intelligent  growers  hold  that  after  the  crop  is 
gathered  the  trees  should  have  perfect  rest  until  after 
blossoming  the  next  spring.  That  they  should  not  be 
touched,  except  to  remove  dead  wood  and  broken  or 
injured  branches,  until  the  bloom  is  off  ;  and  that  they 
should  then  be  tilled  like  corn  as  long  as  the  horses  or 
mules  can  get  under  the  trees  without  rubbing  off  the 
fruit.  They  claim  that  plowing  early  in  the  spring 
opens  up  the  soil  to  receive  the  sun's  rays  to  the  roots, 
and  thus  to  stimulate  early  blooming,  and  consequent 
increased  exposure  to  late  frosts.  This  theory  is  justly 
entitled  to  due  consideration  and  should  be  tested  by 
experiments. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

USES. 

As  a  dessert  the  peach  is  a  universal  favorite,  and  in 
its  season  has  no  rival.  It  is  the  Queen  of  Delicacies.  It 
ripens  in  perfection  only  in  the  glow  of  a  midsummer's 
sun  ;  and  the  hotter  the  weather,  the  more  delicious  are 
its  rich  cooling  juices.  It  is  eminently  suited  to  the  sea- 
son. When  the  weather  is  so  hot  that  even  eating  is  a 
labor,  the  peach  is  acceptable,  for  it  melts  in  the  mouth 
without  exertion.  It  is  perfectly  healthy,  and  even  me- 
dicinal. We  have  known  it  to  effect  a  complete  and 


USES.  125 

almost  immediate  cure  in  dysentery  and  diarrhoea.  It 
may  be  eaten  at  meals,  which  is  perhaps  the  best  time, 
or  between  meals ;  raw  or  cooked ;  in  sauce  or  pies ;  mar- 
malade or  preserves ;  with  cream  and  sugar,  or  without 
— almost  any  way — but  never  green  or  decayed.  As  it  is 
most  delicious  and  healthy  when  ripe  and  sound,  so  it  is 
most  unpalatable  and  pernicious  when  green  or  decayed. 

Eating  when  ripe  is  the  best,  as  well  as  the  most  agree-1 
able  way  of  using  peaches ;  probably  nine-tenths  of  all 
raised  are  eaten  in  their  ripe  and  uncooked  states. 

But  vast  quantities  are  also  canned,  and  numerous 
establishments  turn  out,  respectively,  several  hundred 
thousand  cans  every  season.  These  are  shipped  to  all 
parts  of  the  world ;  and  many  tastes  are  gratified  with 
the  canned  fruit  that  never  knew,  and  never  will  know, 
the  delight  of  a  ripe  uncooked  peach. 

Some  are  preserved  for  domestic  use,  and  are  consid- 
ered amongst  the  very  best  of  conserves. 

Formerly  small,  inferior,  and  even  half  rotten  peaches, 
as  well  as  the  parings  thrown  out  by  the  canners,  were 
distilled  into  peach  brandy,  and  quite  a  quantity  was 
used  up  in  this  way ;  but  since  the  discovery  of  the  Alden 
and  other  processes  of  evaporation,  and  the  invention  of 
various  evaporators,  very  little  is  used  in  this  way  ;  and 
that  only  of  the  very  worst  sort. 

The  evaporated  fruit  is  found  to  be  one  of  the  best,  if 
not  the  very  best,  forms  in  which  it  can  be  preserved ;  and 
when  there  is  a  crop,  tons  of  dried  peaches  are  put  up  in 
every  neighborhood.  Indeed,  in  localities,  almost  every 
planter  has  an  evaporator-  and  some  of  them  several. 
This  is  found  to  be  of  great  advantage,  and  in  many  ways. 
When  the  crop  is  very  abundant  large  quantities  are  used 
in  this  way ;  a  glut  in  the  market  is  prevented,  and  bet- 
ter prices  are  obtained  for  what  is  sent.  Then  the  fruit 
preserved  by  this  method  will  keep.  It  may  be  packed 
away  and  shipped  when  there  is  leisure,  or  when  good 


126  PEACH  CULTUKE. 

prices  can  be  obtained,  while  ripe  peaches,  in  their  nat- 
ural state,  must  be  shipped  and  sold  at  once.  Besides, 
evaporated  peaches  are  a  most  delicious  and  wholesome 
luxury,  one  that  will  surely  make  its  own  way  after  the 
first  introduction.  Indeed,  desiccated  peaches  are  now 
so  popular  that  they  are  usually  all  engaged  as  soon  as 
dried,  and  often  before.  They  always  bring  good  prices, 
and  are  growing  in  popularity  every  year.  The  average 
price  for  evaporated  peaches,  of  good  quality,  is  about 
thirty  cents  a  pound.  We  now  speak  of  peeled  ones. 
Unpeeled  fruit  does  not  bring  half  so  much  and  should 
not,  for  only  the  very  inferior  is  dried  without  peeling. 
Desiccated  peaches  may  be  procured  at  almost  any  good 
family  grocery  store,  done  up  in  neat  boxes.  The  white 
colored  are  preferred  ;  but  this  only  shows  the  ignorance 
of  the  purchasing  public.  The  purest  and  best  are  of  a 
light  amber  color.  This  is  the  dried  peach  in  its  nat- 
ural state.  The  white  have  been  bleached  by  the  use  of 
sulphur.  This  is  done  by  evaporators  in  self-defence,  as 
the  white  fruit  will  always  sell  better,  and  at  a  higher 
price  than  the  amber.  The  difference  is  usually  from 
two  to  four  cents  a  pound.  It  is  contended  that  the 
bleaching  does  no  harm,  and,  therefore,  is  an  innocent 
concession  to  a  popular  prejudice.  All  the  sulphur  con- 
tained in  the  fruit  may  not  render  it  unhealthf  ul,  but,  to 
our  taste,  it  does  take  away  part  of  its  delicate  flavor,  and 
renders  it  less  palatable ;  and,  for  this  reason,  we  never 
use  any  bleached  fruit. 

We  might  occupy  a  long  chapter  in  describing  the  evap- 
orators and  the  manner  of  using  them  ;  but  it  would  not 
add  to  the  practical  advantage  of  this  little  treatise.  We 
will  simply  say  that  there  are  perhaps  a  dozen  patented 
ones,  every  one  of  which  claims  to  possess  some  special 
advantage,  and  nearly  all  of  which  are  really  good.  A 
planter,  in  making  a  selection,  will  be  governed,  in  a 
great  measure,  by  his  requirements.  If  he  has  a  great 


USES.  127 

many  peaches,  he  will  want  a  large  one  ;  if  only  a  few,  a 
small  one.  They  range  through  a  wide  field,  both  in 
capacity  and  cost.  The  smallest  and  cheapest  may  cost 
twenty-five  dollars  ;  the  largest,  perhaps,  three  thousand. 
The  first  will  require  the  attention  of  a  single  person : 
the  latter  of  a  hundred  or  more. 

It  is  said  hy  those  who  make  a  business  of  preserving 
peaches  in  this  way  that,  when  peaches  cost  more  than 
forty  cents  a  basket,  they  cannot  be  desiccated  at  a  profit, 
but  below  this  they  may. 

The  leaves  of  the  peach,  bruised  and  distilled,  yield  a 
liquor  used  for  flavoring  cookery.  When  steeped  in 
spirits  they  impart  that  peculiar  flavor  called  noyau. 

Four  pounds  of  peach  blossoms  distilled  in  a  water 
bath  will  yield  twelve  ounces  of  a  whitish  liquor,  sweet 
to  the  taste,  and  agreeable  to  the  smell,  much  resembling 
bruised  peach  kernels.  This  liquor  is  a  strong  perfume, 
and  a  few  drops  will  very  agreeably  scent  a  large  quantity 
of  any  other  liquor  or  substance  with  which  it  commin- 
gles. The  buds  yield  the  same  liquor,  but  not  of  so  deli- 
cate a  flavor. 


128  PEACH    CULTURE. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

INSECTS     AND     DISEASES. 

But  little  is  yet  settled  in  regard  to  diseases  of  the 
peach.  Is  it  really  subject  to  any  inherent  disease,  or 
are  its  maladies  accidental ;  that  is,  superinduced  by  ex- 
traneous causes?  We  incline  to  the  latter  opinion. 
Most  of  them  we  know  are  ;  and  we  are  not  certain 
that  any  are  not.  The  Yellows  is  the  only  known 
one  of  which  we  doubt ;  and  about  it  very  little  is  knOwn 
either  as  to  origin  or  treatment.  It  is  generally  regarded 
as  incurable,  and  eradication  is  the  only  remedy  recom- 
mended. Cultivators  should  observe  closely,  experiment 
extensively,  and  report  fully.  In  this  way  more  reliable 
data  will  be  obtained,  and,  it  is  hoped,  a  remedy  dis- 
covered. 

THE  BORER. 

The  Borer  (/Egeria  exitiosd),  is  the  most  common,  as  it 
is  the  most  troublesome  enemy  of  the  peach  on  the  Peninsu- 
la; and  yet,  if  looked  after  in  time,  it  is  very  easily  subdued, 
and  need  in  no  wise  seriously  interfere  with  cultivation. 
But,  if  allowed  to  intrench  itself  in  our  orchards,  it  will 
not  only  require  time  and  labor  to  rout  it,  but  even  this 
will  only  be  effected  by  constant  vigilance  and  with  con- 
siderable loss.  Hence,  the  planter  should  never  permit 
it  to  obtain  a  footing  in  his  young  orchard,  but  upon 
its  first  appearance  destroy  it  utterly.  To  exclude 
the  borer,  he  has  only  to  carefully  examine  his  trees  every 
spring  and  fall,  and  wherever  he  finds  one,  destroy  it.  If 
this  rule  is  strictly  followed,  his  labor  will  be  very  light, 
and  his  trees  will  never  be  permanently  injured.  But  if 
he  neglects  this,  as  is  so  often  the  case,  until  the  borer  if* 


INSECTS   AND   DISEASES.  329 

established  in  the  tree,  the  labor  of  extermination  will  not 
only  be  increased  ten-fold,  but  he  will  suffer  the  pain  of 
seeing  some  of  his  handsomest  trees  enfeebled;  and,  if  the 
most  prompt  and  vigorous  measures  are  not  adopted, 
they  will  die. 

The  Sorer  is,  when  fully  developed,  a  slender,  dark- 
blue,  four- winged,  wasp-si laped  insect.  Figure  17  gives  the 
male,  and  fig.  18  the  female  perfect  in- 
sect. It  does  not  enter  the  tree  in  this 
shape,  but  about  the  middle  of  June 
commences  to  deposit  its  eggs  on  the 
tender  bark  of  the  tree,  at  the  surface  of 
the  ground,  and,  occasionally,  through-  ^ig.  17.—  BORER. 
out  the  summer,  sometimes  even  as  late 
as  October.  These  eggs  hatch,  as  the  season  advances, 
into  small  white  grubs  or  borers,  about  one  inch  long 
when  fully  grown,  and  an  eighth 
of  an  inch  in  diameter.  These 
penetrate  the  bark,  and  burrow  in- 
to the  sap  wood,  where  they  re- 
main all  winter.  In  the  spring,  or 
early  summer,  they  emerge  in  their 
Fig.  18.— BORER.— FEMALE,  perfect,  winged  form,  and  soon 
commence  depositing  eggs  for  another  generation. 

During  their  stay  in  the  tree,  they  devour  voraciously 
the  bark  and  sap  wood,  and  one  or  two  are  sufficient  to 
destroy  a  young  tree  in  a  single  season,  and  four  or  five, 
an  old  one.  Their  inroads  are  very  insidious,  and  some- 
times the  first  notice  the  planter  has  of  their  presence  is 
the  blighting  of  his  tree,  which  soon  withers  and  dies. 
The  work  being  done  in  the  dark,  under  the  bark,  and  the 
gum  piled  around  the  neck  of  the  tree,  the  insect  is  com- 
pletely concealed,  and  the  injury  unsuspected  until,  like 
an  exploded  mine,  the  bleached  and  withered  leaves  give 
unmistakable  evidence  of  its  fatal  presence.  But  a  little 
experience  will  soon  enable  any  one  to  detect  the  borer. 
9 


130  PEACH     CULTURE. 

The  most  certain  and  obvious  sign  is  the  gum  at  the  neck 
of  the  tree.  Whenever  this  appears,  you  may  certainly 
conclude  the  borer  is  entrenched.  But  sometimes  very 
little  gum,  if  any,  indeed,  may  be  there,  and  still  this 
treacherous  enemy  may  be  destroying  the  very  vitals  of 
your  beautiful  and  productive  tree.  But,  generally,  there 
will  be  a  disturbed,  raised,  or  loose  appearance  of  the 
ground  immediately  around  the  neck  of  the  tree.  When 
this  is  the  case,  inspect  carefully.  On  the  other  hand,  if 
the  surface  of  the  ground  is  flat,  close,  compact  and  hard 
at  the  neck,  you  may  almost  certainly  conclude  that  no 
borer  is  there.  One  accustomed  to  examine  for,  and  de- 
stroy these  grubs,  can  tell  at  a  glance  whether  or  not  the 
borer  is  present.  Several  remedies  have  been  prescribed 
for  the  borer ;  but  the  best  yet  discovered,  where  the  insect 
has  penetrated  to  the  wood,  is 

A  Hoe,  a  Bill-hooked  Knife,  and  a  Punch,— The  first 
to  scrape  away  the  earth  from  the  root ;  the  second  to 
cut  away  the  gum  and  decayed  bark  and  wood ;  and  the 
last  to  kill  the  borer.  The  knife  should  be  large,  strong  and 
sharp.  Either  a  pruning  or  butcher  knife  does  very  well. 
The  punch  may  be  of  hard,  seasoned  wood  or  heavy  wire ; 
but  a  whalebone  one  is  the  best,  because  it  is  pliable  and 
elastic,  and  may  be  thrust  into  a  curving  cavity,  when  a 
straight  one  could  not,  and  thus  reach  the  borer  without 
cutting  away  the  wood.  But  the  borer  must  be  destroyed 
at  all  events.  There  must  be  no  truce,  no  mercy,  if  you 
wish  to  save  your  tree.  If  you  leave  even  one,  it  will 
probably  be  the  death  of  your  tree,  for  it  will  eat,  and 
eat  away,  until  it  has  destroyed  it.  The  greatest  care 
should  be  taken  to  remove  all.  Sometimes  quite  a  num- 
ber will  be  found  in  one  tree.  Five  and  six  are  not 
at  all  unfrequent ;  and  even  more  will  sometimes  be 
found.  In  removing  the  borer,  the  operator  should  be 
careful  not  to  bruise  or  cut  away  any  of  the  sound  bark 
or  wood,  as  it  will  all  be  little  enough  for  the  renovation 


INSECTS    AND    DISEASES. 


131 


of  the  tree  ;  but  all  the  dead  and  diseased  wood  and  bark 
should  be  carefully  removed,  so  that  the  new  growth  may 
cover  over  the  old  wound  as  soon  as  possible.  After  the 
operation,  the  soil  should  be  drawn  up  to  the  neck  of  the 
tree  again,  in  order  to  prevent  the  sun  and  dry  winds 
from  cracking  the  bark  in  the  summer,  or  the  severe  frosts 
from  chilling  it  in  the  winter. 

BOILING  WATER  is  recommended  by  some  as  a  very 
safe,  simple  and  effectual  remedy.  We  have  never  tried 
it  ourselves,  and  cannot  speak  from  experience ;  but  we 
have  no  doubt  of  its  beneficial  effects  when  judiciously 
applied.  But  whether  it  is  as  good  as  the  one  we  have 
just  described,  and,  if  as  good,  as  cheap,  we  do  not  know. 
It  is  applied  in  various  ways,  the  simplest  of  which  is  to 
pour  it  all  around  the  neck  of  the  tree  affected,  so  that  it 
may  flow  into,  and  fill  up,  every  hole,  thus  destroying  the 
borer  in  its  retreat.  Our  doubt  of  the  complete  success 
of  this  method  arises  in  the  fear  we  have  that  the  borer 
will  not  be  reached  by  the  scalding  flood,  and,  conse- 
quently, often  escape.  It  often,  on  entering  a  tree, 
ascends,  and  its  course  is  shielded,  as  well  as  concealed, 
by  the  bark.  Now,  how  is  the  water  to  reach  it  here  ? 
Will  it  not  be  shed  by  this  panoply,  and  the  insect  remain 
secure  in  his  double-walled  fortress  ? 

Another  cultivator  applies  the  water  in  this  way : 
"  Take  a  piece  of  half- inch  lead  pipe,  say  three  feet  long  ; 
bend  one  end  to  nearly  a  right  angle,  and  fit  the  same  to 
the  borer's  hole,  the  main  length  of  the  pipe  standing 
perpendicularly ;  place  a  funnel  in  the  top,  and  fill  the 
pipe  with  boiling  water ;  the  borer  will  soon  be  dead, 
while  the  tenderest  tree  will  not  be  injured  by  the  process." 
This  is  a  very  complete,  effectual,  and  highly  artistic 
method,  but  we  fear  the  time  consumed  in  fitting  the  pipe 
to  the  hole,  and  the  funnel  to  the  pipe,  with  the  trouble 
of  finding  the  hole,  and  waste  of  water,  would  be  dis- 


132  PEACH    CULTURE. 

couragingly  tedious  to  a  planter  who  had  ten  thousand 
trees  to  examine  in  a  few  days. 

WASTE  WATER  FROM  SALT-WORKS  has  also  been  men- 
tioned with  favor  by  some.  We  have  never  used  it,  or 
seen  it  used,  but  we  feel  safe  in  recommending  its  trial 
in  moderation,  when  at  hand  ;  care  ought  to  be  exercised 
in  its  application,  especially  to  young  trees,  as  these  acrid, 
mineral  liquids  often  prove  injurious,  and  sometimes 
fatal,  to  vegetable  life.  With  this  caution,  let  it  be  tried 
whenever  it  will  be  economy  to  use  it.  The  difficulty  in 
the  application  of  all  liquids  is  to  reach  the  borer.  It  is 
often  so  deeply  burrowed  in  the  wood  of  the  tree  as  scarcely 
to  be  found,  even  with  knife  and  punch,  and  is  perfectly 
secure  against  water,  except  it  be  a  deluge. 

OIL,  DIFFUSED  IN  WATER,  and  applied  with  a  syringe, 
has  been  recommended  as  a  protection  against  all  noxious 
insects,  the  borer  among  the  rest.  It  is  affirmed  that  a 
single  drop  of  sweet  oil,  applied  to  the  back  of  a  wasp  or 
hornet,  produces  almost  instant  death ;  and  that  a  very 
small  quantity  is  sufficient,  when  diluted,  to  destroy  myr- 
iads of  insects.  It  is  said  it  closes  up  the  breathing-pores, 
and  the  insect  dies  for  want  of  air.  However  destruc- 
tive it  may  be  to  wasps  and  hornets,  we  can  not,  with- 
out further  trial,  conclude  that  it  will  be  equally  so  to 
the  borer,  whose  habits  of  life  are  so  entirely  different. 
The  one  delights  in  sunshine,  moves  on  wings,  and  lives 
in  air,  while  the  other  burrows  into  the  solid  wood,  where 
light  never  penetrates,  and  seals  himself  up  hermetically 
with  impervious  gum.  Still,  the  smell  of  the  oil,  espe- 
cially of  coal  oil,  m'ay  be  useful  in  keeping  off  the  fly  or 
moth,  if  applied  at  the  season  it  deposits  its  eggs. 

SHEATHING  THE  TREE  WITH  PAPER,  STRAW,  OR  CLOTH, 
anything  that  will  prevent  the  embryo  worm  from  ob- 
taining a  lodgment  in  the  bark  of  the  tree,  has  been  tried 
with  success;  and,  if  attended  to  in  the  proper  time, 


1KSECTS   AKD  DISEASES.  133 

about  the  middle  of  June,  and  kept  on  until  the  danger  is 
past,  about  the  middle  of  October,  will  prove  a  complete 
preventive.  But  if  the  borer  had  already  obtained  a  lodg- 
ment, or  the  eggs  had  been  deposited  before  the  tree  was 
bandaged,  or  the  bandage  was  not  impervious,  it  will 
prove  no  protection,  or,  an  insufficient  one. 

If  paper  be  used,  it  should  be  wrapped  once  and  a  half, 
or  twice,  around  the  tree,  so  as  to  leave  no  place  of  in- 
gress for  the  insect,  and  should  extend  two  inches  below, 
and  six  above  the  ground,  and  be  securely  tied  to  keep  it 
in  its  place.  It  may  be  secured  at  the  lower  end  by  sim- 
ply scraping  away  the  dirt  the  required  depth,  wrapping 
the  paper  around,  and  then  drawing  the  dirt  back,  and 
pressing  it  down  firmly.  The  method  of  applying  straw, 
cloth,  or  other  material,  is  the  same. 

Akin  to  this  remedy  is  that  o£  scraping  up  piles  of  dirt 
around  the  tree,  in  early  summer,  and  leaving  them  until 
fall.  This  is  on  the  same  principle,  and  answers  the  same 
end  if  well  done,  and  constantly  maintained  ;  but  they 
must  not  be  permitted  to  wear  away  by  summer  showers. 
Lime  or  wood-ashes  are  better  than  dirt  for  this  purpose, 
as  neither  is  so  liable  to  abrasion,  and  both  are  excellent 
fertilizers. 

THE    CUKCULIO. 

This  most  destructive  and  dreaded  of  all  enemies  of  fruit 
has  never  much  troubled  our  peaches  on  the  Peninsula, 
and  consequently  we  have  little  practical  experience  or  ob- 
servation in  regard  to  it.  We  are  thankful  for  our  ex- 
emption ;  and  ignorance,  in  this  instance,  at  least,  is 
undoubtedly  bliss.  But  in  Ohio,  and  probably  elsewhere 
in  the  West,  it  has  become  very  troublesome  and  injuri- 
ous. The  Curculio,  Plum- Weevil  (Rhynchcenus  Nenu- 
phar), is  a  small,  dark-brown,  winged  beetle,  with  white, 
yellow  and  black  spots.  It  is  quite  small,  never  exceed- 


134 


PEACH   CtfLTtfKE. 


ing  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  often  not  so  long. 
It  has  two  humps  on  its  back,  and  is  provided  with  a  rela- 
tively long  throat  and  bill,  which  falls  between  its  fore- 
legs when  in  repose.  In  fig.  19  we  give  a  much  magnified 
drawing  of  the  curculio  attacking  a  plum.  When  in  a 
tree,  a  sudden  jar  will  cause  it  to  fall  down  as  it'  dead, 
rolled  up  ball-like.  Some  suppose  that  it  hardly  ever 
leaves  the  tree  upon  which  it  first  finds  itself;  and 
this  opinion  is,  in  part,  sustained  by  the  method  of  its 

reproduction,  the  larvae 
being  carried  to,  and 
hatched  in  the  ground 
through  the  medium  of 
the  spoiled  fruit.  Others, 
on  the  contrary,  contend 
that  it  is  migratory,  and 
travels  over  a  large  space 
— an  entire  orchard,  at 
least,  or  even  many  or- 
chards. This  view  is 
strengthened  by  the  fact 
that  it  is  furnished  with 
wings,  which  seem  natu- 
rally to  indicate  both 
Fig.  19.— CURCULIO  UPON  A  PLUM.  disposition  and  ability  to 
fly.  Its  character  and  habits  are  not  yet  fully  known. 
Enough,  however,  has  already  been  learned  to  make  it 
the  bane  and  terror  of  all  fruit  growers.  Closer  observe 
tion  and  experience,  it  is  hoped,  may  yet  discover  an 
efficient  protection  against  its  ravages.  None  such  has 
yet  been  found. 

As  soon  as  the  fruit  begins  to  set,  and  for  weeks  after- 
wards, this  pestiferous  beetle  commences  its  work  of  ruin 
by  making  a  minute  puncture  in  the  young  fruit.  In 
this  the  egg  of  the  grub  is  deposited.  It  grows  with  the 
fruit  until  it  becomes  so  large  as  to  destroy  the  vitality 


INSECTS  .AND    DISEASES.  135 

of  the  latter,  which  drops  from  the  stem,  and  the  larva 
finds  its  way  into  the  soil,  undergoes  another  transforma- 
tion, and  reappears  the  next  spring  as  the  little  winged 
beetle  above  described.  This  is  the  usual  process  and  re- 
sult wTith  the  plum,  its  favorite  object  of  attack  ;  but  with 
the  larger  and  hardier  fruits,  such  as  apples,  pears,  and 
peaches,  the  effect  is  not  so  fatal.  The  nature  and  char- 
acter of  the  attack  is  the  same,  but  owing  to  the  size  and 
vigor  of  the  fruit,  they  are  better  able  to  resist  and  sur- 
vive it.  The  consequence  is  that  they  are  only  spoiled, 
or  partially  destroyed. 

It  was  once  supposed  by  some  that  as  soon  as  the  fruit 
was  well  set,  the  danger  from  the  curculio  was  over ;  and 
that  if  it  could  be  protected  for  two  or  three  weeks  from 
the  time  of  the  fall  of  the  blossom,  the  fruit  would  be 
safe.  But  a  better  acquaintance  with  its  habits  has  shown 
that  it  continues  its  ravages  throughout  the  summer,  and 
nearly,  if  not  quite,  to  the  ripening  of  the  fruit ;  and 
this  is  especially  true  with  the  tenderer  sorts,  so  that 
nothing  short  of  destruction  or  banishment  to  the  de- 
stroyer will  save  the  fruit. 

The  loss  to  horticulture  from  this  enemy  alone  can 
hardly  be  overestimated.  It  has  almost  banished  plums 
from  our  gardens,  and  changed  hope  and  expectation  into 
fear  and  despair.  When  we  think  of  the  rich  Golden 
Drops,  the  delicious  Gages,  and  the  splendid  Jeffersons, 
which  this  inveterate  and  malignant  foe  has  snatched  al- 
most from  our  lips,  our  disappointment  and  vexation 
know  no  bounds.  But  should  it,  with  like  malignity,  invade 
our  peach  plantations,  we  should  be  driven  to  despair. 

Formerly,  it  was  supposed  that  the  character  of  the 
soil  determined,  in  a  great  measure,  whether  or  not  the 
curculio  would  be  troublesome ;  and  it  was  supposed  that 
stiff  clay  lands  were  a  preventive,  while  light,  sandy  ones 
were  conducive,  to  its  propagation  and  increase.  Later 
observations  and  experience,  however,  have  demonstrated 


136  PEACH    CULTURE. 

that  the  character  of  the  soil  has  very  little,  if  any,  influ- 
ence on  it. 

Many  remedies  have  been  tried  and  abandoned,  and 
many  more  are  still  recommended  as  worthy  of  yet  fur- 
ther trial.  We  are  sorry  we  have  none  that  \ve  can  recom- 
mend with  confidence.  Such  as  they  are,  we  state  them. 
If  not  effectual,  they  may  still  prove  useful,  in  a  measure. 
Let  planters  observe,  note,  and  experiment.  It  is  a  bad 
disease  that  has  no  cure.  The  end  is  so  valuable  and  de- 
sirable, we  should  never  despair  of  attaining  it. 

1.  JAR    THE    TREE,  AND  KILL    THE    IXSECT. This    is    One 

of  the  oldest  and  most  effective  of  any  proposed,  but,  at 
the  same  time,  tedious,  expensive,  and,  on  a  large  scale, 
almost  impracticable.  The  mode  is  to  saw  off  one  of 
the  lower  branches,  leaving  a  stump  about  half  an  inch 
long ;  then  spread  sheets  under  the  tree  early  every 
morning,  during  the  season  the  curculio  is  troublesome, 
and,  with  a  wooden  mallet,  give  the  stump  two  or  three 
sharp  strokes.  The  tree  is  thus  suddenly  jarred,  and  the 
insects,  dislodged,  fall  upon  the  sheets,  and  are  gathered 
up  and  destroyed.  Dr.  Hall,  of  Illinois,  has  a  contriv- 
ance like  a  large  umbrella  opened  and  inserted  upon  a 
wheel-barrow.  The  umbrella  or  expanded  portion  has  an 
opening  in  one  side,  to  admit  the  trunk  of  the  tree.  The 
barrow  is  propelled  in  such  a  manner  as  to  strike  against 
the  tree  and  jar  it ;  the  expanded  canvas  portion  being 
then  in  a  position  to  catch  any  insects  or  injured  fruit  that 
may  fall.  This  may  do  for  gardens,  but  what  peach  plant- 
er, with  his  thousand  or  ten  thousand  trees,  would  think 
of  it. 

2.  BANDAGE  THE  TREES. — Some  use  these  in  the  belief 
that  the  curculios  climb  up  the  stem  of  the  tree,  and  that 
the  bands  arrest  their  progress,  and  detain  them  until 
they  can  be  caught  and  killed.     The  bands  are  made  of 
wool,  cotton,  or  rope,  dipped  IK  coax  or  gae  tar,  and  are 


INSECTS    AND    DISEASES.  137 

tied  around  the  main  stem,  just  below  the  branches,  and 
sometimes  also  around  the  main  branches  themselves. 
The  smell  of  the  tar  may  be  as  effectual  as  the  bands 
themselves. 

3.  A  TRAP. — We  have  heard  of  a  curculio  Trap,  made 
in  the  shape  of  a  bag,  and  hung  in  the  tree ;  but  we  have 
neither  seen  nor  heard  it  described,  and  are,  consequently, 
unable  to  speak  of  its  merits. 

4.  OFFENSIVE  ODORS. — It    has    been   discovered    that 
most  insects  that  infest  orchards  are  more  or  less  affected 
by  disagreeable  odors ;  hence  it  is  proposed  to  hang  up 
in  the  branches  of  trees,  during  the  incursion  of  the  cur- 
culio, cobs  or  some  other  convenient  thing,  dipped  in  gas 
or  coal  tar,  and  strung  upon  a  wire,  and  thus  drive  them 
away.     This  remedy  is  plausible,  and  may  be  very  ser- 
viceable in  many  instances  of  insect  invasion  ;  but,  so  far, 
there  seerns  to  be   "  no  enchantment  "  against  this  most 
pestilential  of  all  the  insect  tribe.     Besides,  it  is  tedious 
and  inconvenient  when  used  on  a  large  scale. 

5.  DESTROY  THE  FALLEN  FRUIT. — As  the  injured  fruit 
falls  to  the  ground  with  the  grub  in  it,  it  is  a  very  effectu- 
al and  convenient  way  to  turn  hogs  into  the  orchard  to 
eat  it  up.     This  is  a  remedy  without  objection,  and  may 
at  all  times  be  resorted  to  with  safety  and  economy.     If 
it  does  not  prove  entirely  successful,  it  will,  doubtless, 
greatly  mitigate  the  evil.     Let  no  infected  fruit  remain 
in  your  orchards. 

6.  WHITEWASH  THE  GROUND. — Governed  by  instinct,  it 
is  said  the  curculio  will  never  deposit  its  eggs  where  they 
cannot  be  hatched — hence,  not  over  water  or  paved  yards, 
nor  whitewashed  surfaces.      From  this  hint   cultivators 
have  experimented,  and  it  is  now  affirmed   by  many  that 
trees  overhanging  any  of  these  are  exempt.     In  view  of 
this,  whitewashing  the  ground  is  proposed  as  an  infallible 
remedy.     It  is,  no  doubt,  excellent ;  for  even  if  it  should 


138  PEACH  CULTURE. 

fail  to  drive  away  the  curculio,  it  will  prove  an  excellent 
fertilizer  for  the  trees.  But  if  it  can  be  applied  without 
too  much  expense,  we  think  it  may  prove  valuable  as  a 
remedy.  The  ground  should  first  be  plowed,  harrowed 
and  rolled,  so  as  to  make  the  surface  as  smooth  and  fine 
is  practicable.  The  finely  pulverized  lime  may  then  be 
sown  broadcast,  just  when  the  trees  are  shedding  their 
blossoms,  or  the  surface  may  be  whitewashed  with  it  in 
a  liquid  state.  But  we  fear  the  trouble,  expense,  and 
liability  to  be  absorbed  will  deter  many  from  trying  it. 

7.  PAVING  AND  PLANTING  OVER  WATER. — These  rest 
on^the  same  principle — that  instinct  teaches  the  insect 
that  its  seed  will  be  destroyed  if  deposited  above  them. 
From  whatever  cause,  it  is  claimed  by  some  that  trees 
hanging  over  the  edge  of  a  lake,  or  with  paved  yards 
under  them,  will  not  be  visited  by  the  curculio,  but  this 
is  as  emphatically  denied  by  others. 

8.  LIME  AND  SULPHUR. — This  is  a  mixture  of  eighteen 
double  handf  uls  of  sulphur  to  a  barrel  of  ordinary  white- 
wash, made  of  unslacked  lime.     The  mixture  must  be 
reduced  by  water  to  a  consistency  capable  of  being  used 
with  a  syringe.     It  should  be  applied  three  times  a  week, 
for  four  weeks,  commencing  with  the  fall  of  the  blossom. 
As  the  sediment  falls  more  water  may  be  poured  in  as 
the  liquid  part  is  used,  until  the  whole  be  consumed. 

9.  SPRAYING  THE  TREES. — Of  late  this  remedy  has  been 
resorted  to  in  some  sections  to  a  limited  extent  and  with 
;ncouraging  results.     It  is  now  hoped  that  it  may  afford 
very  substantial  relief.     A  solution  of  one  pound  of  Paris 
green  to  a  hundred  and  sixty  gallons  of  water  is  the  proper 
one  to  be  used.     This  is  applied  by  a  syringe  with  a  perfo- 
rated nozzle.     A  barrel  or  hogshead  is  mounted  on  a  cart, 
and  drawn  through  the  orchard,  and  the  poisoned  water 
sprayed  over  the  trees  on  each  side.     The  time  is  first 
when  the  blossoms  are  about  to  shed ;  then  at  intervals 
of  two  or  three  weeks  until  the  fruit  is  half  grown. 

We  have  given  these  several  remedies,  and  hope  they 


INSECTS  AHD  DISEASES.  139 

may  be  found  useful,  but  with  only  limited  confidence  in 
their  efficiency  or  utility.  A  cheap,  convenient,  and  cer- 
tain remedy  for  curculio  is  a  desideratum  most  earnestly 
wished  for,  but  a  blessing  not  yet  conferred. 

THE   ROSE   BUG. 

For  many  years  the  common  Rose  Bug  (Macrodac- 
tylus  subspinosus)  has  been  a  well-known  and  much- 
feared  enemy  of  the  peach  in  some  sections  of  the 
country ;  but  it  was  not  till  the  present  summer  of  1887 
that  it  appeared  formidable  upon  the  Peninsula.  This 
season,  however,  the  rose  bugs  have  appeared  in  some 
orchards  in  vast  numbers,  and  have  created  great  and 
just  alarm  among  growers.  Their  favorite  food  seemed 
to  be  the  leaves  of  the  plum  and  cherry  trees,  which  they 
ate  voraciously,  leaving  the  trees  as  brown  and  dry  as  if 
scorched  by  a  fire.  But  the  plum  and  cherry  trees  did  not 
afford  sufficient  food  and  they  then  attacked  other  fruits, 
and  the  peach  trees  seemed  to  be  their  next  choice.  Their 
numbers  were  absolutely  incredible.  They  covered  the 
leaves  and  also  the  fruit.  I  have  been  assured  by  trust- 
worthy growers  that  they  have  counted  as  many  as  thirty 
on  a  single  leaf.  When  they  alight  on  a  leaf  or  peach 
they  remain  until  they  have  extracted  every  bit  of  sap 
from  it,  leaving  it  dry  and  shriveled.  Of  course  this 
means  utter  destruction  to  the  crop,  and  great  injury  to 
the  trees.  These  insects  appeared  about  the  last  of  May 
and  continued  for  about  two  weeks, when  they  disappeared. 
So  far  no  sufficient  remedy  has  been  proposed.  In  an- 
swer to  inquiries  made  at  the  Agricultural  Department, 
Washington,  the  Entomologist  writes  :  "  The  Rose  Bug 
is  one  of  the  most  difficult  insects  which  we  have  to  fight, 
as  it  lives  in  the  larva  state  under  ground  where  it  can- 
not be  reached,  and  as  the  adult  insect  flies  so  readily  and 
feeds  on  so  many  different  plants  there  is.  no  way  to 
fight  it  except  by  the  expenditure  of  time  and  trouble." 
He  recommends  spraying  the  trees  with  a  mixture  of 
Paris  green  or  London  purple,  using  one  pound  of  poison 


140  PEACH  CULTTTBE. 

to  a  hundred  gallons  of  water,  with  an  addition  of  two 
or  three  pounds  of  flour  to  make  the  mixture  adhesive. 

THE  YELLOWS. 

The  Yellows,  as  a  disease,  was  very  little  known  on 
the  Peninsula  until  within  a  few  years ;  but  lately  it 
has  greatly  increased  in  some  sections,  and  many  of 
our  growers  are  thoroughly  alarmed.  The  districts  most 
affected  are  the  whole  of  New  Castle,  and  the  northern 
part  of  Kent  county,  Delaware,  and  the  portion  of  Kent 
county,  Maryland,  contiguous  to  and  west  of  the  former. 
The  disease  seems  to  be  traveling  slowly  but  surely 
south,  and  hence  the  alarm  is  felt  not  only  by  those  in 
the  immediate  neighborhood  infected,  but  by  growers 
generally.  Many  theories  have  been  advanced  regarding 
its  origin  or  cause,  but  a  satisfactory  solution  has  not 
yet  been  reached ;  and  we  see  no  reason  so  far  to  depart 
from  the  views  expressed  in  an  earlier  edition  of  this 
work. 

CAUSE. 

This,  as  yet,  is  a  subject  of  speculation.  Various  opin- 
ions have  been  expressed,  and  various  theories  advanced. 
We  have  no  sufficient  data  to  enable  us  to  speak  unhesi- 
tatingly, but  we  believe  its  primary  cause  is  bad  cultiva* 
tion.  By  this  we  mean,  that  in  its  cultivation  the  essen- 
tial conditions  of  a  healthy  tree  and  fine  fruit  have  been 
overlooked  or  disregarded.  This  has  been  through  igno- 
rance. Cultivators  neither  observed  nor  read.  At  an 
early  day  in  this  country  the  Yellows  was  unknown  ;  and 
in  newly-cleared  districts  it  is  yet  unknown,  save  only 
where  it  has  been  introduced  by  diseased  trees.  It  has 
never  prevailed  or  been  troublesome  except  in  places 
where  the  peach  has  been  long  and  extensively  cultivated 
as  in  New  Jersey,  and,  perhaps,  a  few  other  places.  From 
this  we  may  reasonably  conclude  that  the  essential  condi- 
tions of  a  healthy  tree  and  fine  fruit  are  non-existent; 
that  the  supply  of  tree  nourisnment  is  deficient,  and  the 


INSECTS  AND  DISEASES.  141 

tree  becomes  feeble  and  diseased,  and,  finally,  dies  of 
starvation.  It  is  a  case  of  arbor-consumption.  It  is  then 
constitutional  and  chronic ;  and  not  only  so,  but  conta- 
gious so  far  that  it  affects  those  in  its  immediate  vicin- 
ity. It  is  a  well-known  fact  in  agriculture,  that  by  suc- 
cessive crops  of  one  variety  of  grain  the  soil  is  exhausted 
of  the  essential  elements  for  the  production  of  that  vari- 
ety, and  that  the  crops  must  be  changed,  or  the  yield  will 
gradually  dwindle  down  to  nothing,  or  the  exhaustive 
process  must  be  counteracted  by  fresh  supplies  of  the' 
aliment  consumed.  Hence  arises  the  practice  of  rotating 
crops,  and  also  of  using  concentrated  fertilizers.  By  the 
first,  we  use  a  different  feeder  to  consume  a  different  ali- 
ment ;  by  the  latter,  we  use  the  same  feeder,  but  intro- 
duce a  new  supply  of  the  same  aliment.  But,  as  all 
plants  consume  a  portion  of  the  same  aliment,  the  rota- 
tion practice  cannot  be  pursued  indefinitely  without  los- 
ing the  highest  benefit ;  but  the  soil  must  be  enriched 
occasionally  by  fresh  supplies  of  the  ingredients  extracted. 
So  it  is  in  arboriculture ;  for  while  it  is  true  that  the 
leaves  and  rotten  wood  do  much  to  supply  nourishment 
for  the  forest  growth,  yet  it  is  equally  true  that  they  are 
not  equivalent  to  the  special  aliment  consumed.  If  the 
whole  forest  were  leveled  at  once,  and  allowed  to  rot  where 
it  fell,  it  would,  probably,  be  an  equivalent,  and  the  soil 
would  then  be  prepared  to  produce  and  sustain  another 
crop  of  the  same  variety.  But  not  so,  if  the  forest  has 
been  cut  down,  and  carried  away.  Bo  this,  in  any  in- 
stance, and  see  if  the  next  growth  will  be  the  same  as  that 
removed.  Not  at  all ;  but  a  totally  different  variety.  If 
the  first  was  pine,  the  next  will  likely  be  oak,  and  vice  versa. 
We  have  seen  beautiful  illustrations  of  this  in  several 
instances.  We  will  mention  one.  Some  twenty  years 
ago  a  forest  of  white  oak,  of  very  heavy  growth,  was 
removed  for  the  timber.  Very  soon  after,  the  whole 
tract  was  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  young  white 
pine,  while  not  a  single  young  tree  of  the  former  growth 


143  PEACH  CULTURE. 

could  be  seen ;  and  yet  it  was  many  miles  from  the  pine 
region  proper,  and  only  a  few  scattering  trees  were  in  the 
neighborhood.  This  effort  of  Nature  to  restore  the  equi- 
librium furnishes  the  key  to  the  apparent  difficulty.  The 
peach  was  a  profitable  crop,  and  planters  were  very  loth 
to  change  it  for  anything  else,  and  too  avaricious  to  re- 
turn any  portion  of  their  profits  to  the  soil  that  had  pro- 
duced them.  The  consequence  was  their  orchards  be- 
came diseased  for  the  want  of  food,  and  literally  died  of 
starvation.  And  it  is  no  wonder  no  remedy  has  been 
discovered,  because  the  nature  of  the  disease  was  never 
known.  What  medicine  does  a  famishing  man  want  but 
wholesome  food  ?  But  when  a  whole  district  is  culti- 
vated in  peaches  until  the  soil  is  exhausted  the  tree  fam- 
ine becomes  general,  and  it  also  becomes  almost  impos- 
sible to  supply  the  necessary  food  for  all ;  then  nothing 
better  can  be  done  than  to  cease  planting,  and  let  the  old 
and  diseased  die.  It  is  only  adding  to,  and  perpetuating 
the  calamity  to  bud  from  the  diseased  trees. 

The  remedy  is  to  plant  no  more  trees  than  you  can 
properly  till.  Do  with  them  as  with  corn,  and  for  the 
same  reason,  and  you  need  not  fear  the  Yellows.  If  you 
have  good  land,  and  the  means  of  keeping  it  good,  you 
can  plant  to  the  extent  of  such  means.  But  stop  at  the 
limit  of  your  means  of  fertilization.  No  good  farmer 
will  plant  fifty  acres  of  corn,  when  he  has  only  the  hands 
to  till,  or  the  means  to  fertilize,  twenty-five ;  no  more 
will  the  orchardist,  peaches.  The  secret  of  success  is  to 
do  no  more  of  anything  than  you  can  do  well. 

Planters  who  have  orchards  already  afflicted,  we  coun- 
sel to  eradicate  the  trees  at  once,  and  plant  no  more  near 
them.  If  a  new  orchard  is  to  be  planted,  get  healthy 
trees,  and  plant  them  on  the  other  side  of  the  farm  from 
the  old  orchard. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The  symptoms  of  the  Yellows  are  principally  two  : 
1.  PREMATURE  KIPENIKG  is  first  in  order  of  time.     On 


INSECTS  AND  DISEASES.  143 

their  first  appearance,  a  few  peaches,  and,  it  may  be, 
very  few,  will  ripen  a  few  days  before  the  proper  time. 
Generally,  their  color  will  be  bright,  and  their  appear- 
ance beautiful,  without  any  symptom  of  disease  that 
would  strike  the  uninitiated  ;  but  the  experienced  planter 
is  not  deceived.  He  notes  the  fatal  sign  as  quickly  a 
the  skilful  physician  does  the  hectic  blush  on  the  pak 
cheek  of  the  fair  consumptive,  and  as  soon  divines  its 
cause.  The  more  violent  the  attack,  the  more  early  and 
numerous  will  be  the  prematures.  If  it  is  slight,  only  a 
few  will  be  affected,  and  they  will  ripen  but  a  few  days 
before  the  proper  time  ;  but  if  the  disease  is  violent,  the 
whole  crop  may  be  injured,  and  the  ripening  take  place 
weeks  in  advance  of  the  season.  In  the  former  case,  the 
tree  may  survive  several  years,  sinking  into  a  gradual 
decay,  the  fruit  growing  smaller,  and  ripening  earlier 
every  successive  season ;  while  in  the  latter  the  decline 
will  be  rapid,  ending  in  death  the  first  or  second  crop 
after  the  attack. 

2.  ABNORMAL  SHOOTS. — The  second  and  infallible 
symptom  of.  Yellows  is  the  striking  out  of  unnatural 
shoots  from  the  main  branches,  and  sometimes  from  the 
stem  of  the  tree.  They  are  very  slender,  and  often  quite 
long.  Usually,  they  issue  from  the  upper  side  of  the 
branch,  and  are  often  quite  numerous.  They  have  a 
sickly  look,  yet  they  are  tough  and  elastic.  The  leaves 
are  very  small,  slender, '  and  pale.  Premature  ripening 
may  be  caused  by  accidental  injury,  or  the  borer;  but 
these  long,  slender,  sickly  looking  twigs  are  infallible 
symptoms  of  Yellows,  and,  from  the  moment  of  their 
appearance,  the  fate  of  the  tree  is  sealed. 

REMEDIES. 

1.  PLANT  NO  DISEASED  SEED  OR  TREES. — We  have 
already  cautioned  planters  against  planting  seed  that  is 
not  perfectly  healthy.  This  advice  cannot  be  too  em- 
phatically expressed.  Neither  should  they  plant  trees 


144  PEACH  CULTUEE. 

unless  they  know  that  they  have  been  propagated  from 
good  seed ;  and  also  that  the  finds  have  been  taken  from 
thrifty,  healthy  trees.  This  is  preventive,  and  is  better 
than  cure. 

2.  Do  NOT  PLANT  IN  FOUL  GROUND. — We  do  not  mean 
by  this,  rough  ground.     Peaches  may,  and  will  do  well 
in  any  soil,  no  matter  how  rough  it  may  be,  provided  it 
contains  the  essential  elements  of  tree  food.     But  ground 
is  foul — in  the  sense  in  which  we  use  the  term — when  it 
is  poisoned  by  unhealthy  matter,  such  as  injurious  or  de- 
structive mineral  or  vegetable  substances,  or  undue  pro- 
portions of  ingredients,  innocent  enough  when  properly 
combined.     Hence,  exhausted  lands  should  not  be  planted 
until  they  have  been  restored  by  proper  tillage  or  fertili- 
zation.    And  especially  should  not  old  peach  orchards  be 
replanted  until  they  have  been  cultivated  for  a  period  of 
years  in  other  crops.     Clover  and  lime  are  excellent 
restoratives. 

Under  the  head  of  foul  land  may  be  included  wet, 
springy,  or  miry  land,  which  is  altogether  unsuited  to  the 
peach,  but  very  conducive  to  disease. 

3.  PULL  UP  THE  DISEASED  TREES. — When  the  Yellows 
has  once  been  allowed  to  make  much  headway,  the  best 
remedy  yet  discovered  is  to  pull  up  the  trees  by  the  roots, 
and  haul  them  out  of  the  orchard.     And  this  should  be 
done  before  flowering,  as  it  is  supposed  by  some  the  dis- 
ease is  spread  by  the  carrying  of  the  pollen  from  one  tree 
to  another  while  in  blossom. 

4.  LIME  AND  MANURE. — If  the  symptoms  are  mild  in 
character,  and  limited  in  extent,  and  the  planter  cannot 
consent  to  lose  his  trees  entirely,  let  him  lime  and  manure 
them  vigorously.     Stir  the  ground  thoroughly  around  the 
trees,  and  plow  the  entire  orchard,  and  keep  it  in  a  mel- 
low state.     Then  if  the  trees  are  full  grown,  apply  from 
half  a  bushel  to  a  bushel  of  lime  to  a  tree.     This  should 
be  sown  uniformly  over  tho  surface  as  far  as  the  roots 
extend,  and  not  piled  around  the  neck  of  the  tree.    If 


INSECTS  AND  DISEASES.  145 

the  land  has  already  been  well  limed,  enrich  it  with  muck, 
manure  or  ground  bones,  always  striving  to  add  some 
new  ingredient  to  the  soil.  The  ground  should  be  rich 
and  mellow.  Additional  vigor  may  also  be  given  the  tree 
by  scraping  the  stem  and  lower  branches  with  a  blunt- 
edged  instrument  like  a  currying-knife,  used  by  tanners 
in  dressing  their  leather.  This  will  remove  all  old,  rough 
bark,  and  tend  to  loosen  the  principal  coat,  which  is  often 
of  great  advantage.  A  still  further  benefit  will  accrue 
by  washing  the  stem  and  main  branches  with  a  strong 
solution  of  whale-oil  soap,  or  soap-suds,  which  are  not 
only  good  fertilizers,  but  cleanse  the  tree,  and  drive  away 
insects.  An  ordinary  whitewash  will  also  be  beneficial. 
Follow  this  up  with  a  little  judicious  pruning,  and  you 
have  done  all  that  seems  at  present  practicable  towards 
preserving,  if  not  curing,  your  affected  trees.  In  prun- 
ing, all  weak  and  unhealthy,  as  well  as  all  dead,  limbs 
should  be  removed.  Those  left  may  also  be  shortened 
in  the  operation  if  you  are  not  quite  sure  the  supply  of 
nourishment  from  the  roots  will  be  quite  abundant  to 
vigorously  sustain  the  top.  The  object  of  all  this  treat- 
ment is  to  obtain  and  maintain  a  constant  and  healthy 
circulation  of  sap  throughout  the  tree,  and  thus  give  such 
strength  and  tone  to  its  vital  powers  as  shall  be  able  to 
resist  and  repel  disease. 

Kecent  information  and  observation  confirms  me  in 
the  belief  that  the  Yellows  disease  is  largely  due  to  un- 
healthy seed  and  buds.  Until  very  recently  the  im- 
portance of  having  sound  seed  for  the  nursery  was  not 
appreciated,  and  the  avarice  of  nurserymen  on  the  one 
hand,  and  canners  and  evaporators  on  the  other,  seems 
to  be  justly  chargeable  with  the  spread  if  not  the  origin 
of  the  disease.  The  seed  of  the  fruit  used  at  these  man- 
ufactories could  be  had  almost  for  a  song,  and  was  near 
at  hand ;  while  the  seed  of  natural  fruit  was  much  more 
difficult  to  procure,  and  cost  more  than  double  as  much. 
The  temptation  to  buy  cheap  kind  was  great.  The  evil 


146          PEACH  CULTURE: 

did  not  spread  fast  while  only  the  seed  of  the  canned 
fruit  was  used;  for,  as  a  rule,  good  healfchy  fruit  only 
was  canned ;  and  the  only  drawback  was  that  it  iras 
budded  and  not  natural.  But  evaporators  were  intro- 
duced, at  first  to  use  up  and  dispose  of  the  poor  and  un- 
salable fruit,  the  premature,  the  unripe,  the  over-ripe, 
the  defective  of  every  kind.  And  since  then  it  is  that 
the  Yellows  has  increased  so  alarmingly.  And  is  it  any 
wonder  ?  The  seed  of  this  small,  defective,  and  often 
diseased  fruit  has  been  very  largely  used  for  propagation. 
It  was  to  be  had  almost  for  the  hauling  away;  while 
good,  sound,  and  natural  seed  was  difficult  to  procure, 
and  cost  money.  I  feel  thoroughly  convinced  that  to 
this  cause,  more  than  all  others,  are  we  indebted  for  this 
baneful  disease.  Many  facts  tending  to  prove  this  might 
be  adduced,  but  their  production  would  be  tedious. 

The  origin,  nature  and  remedial  treatment  of  Yellows 
is  being  thoroughly  investigated  by  the  ablest  scientists 
in  this  country  under  the  patronage  of  the  United  States 
as  well  as  several  individual  states,  and  we  may  hope  that 
the  result  will  be  the  discovery  both  of  the  origin  and 
cure  of  this  most  fatal  of  all  known  diseases  of  the  Peach. 


CHAPTER  XXVIL 
SPECIAL  CULTURE. 
ESPALIER. 

IN  the  peach  growing  districts  proper,  nothing  but  field 
or  garden  culture  is  thought  of,  and  no  further  directions 
are  necessary  ;  but  for  those  who  are  not  so  highly  favored, 
some  specific  instructions  in  sheltered  or  in-door  cultiva- 
tion may  be  useful.  And  we  may  remark  here  that  sev- 
eral methods  have  been  tried,  and  have  found  more  or  less 
f  avQr  with  gardeners.  Most  of  the  experiments  in  in-door 


SPECIAL    CULTURE. 


147 


culture  have  been  made  in  England,  where,  as  we  have 
before  remarked,  the  peach  is  cultivated  as  an  exotic.  But 
in  regard  to  all  in-dqpr  or  protected  cultivation,  it  is  well 
to  remember,  that  skill  is  necessary  in  order  to  render  it 
satisfactory  or  successful ;  and,  while  we  would  not  dis- 
courage amateurs,  or  say  that  an  intelligent  man  may  not 
learn  the  art  from  books,  some  practical  knowledge,  ob- 
tained by  observation  or  experience,  will  be  found  highly 
beneficial.  With  this  caution,  we  will  proceed  to  give 
such  plain  directions  as  we  hope  will  prove  useful. 

We  will  suppose  that  the  tree  is  to  be  trained  on  a 
trellis,  near  a  wall.  Then  obtain  at  the  nursery  a  thrifty, 
vigorous  tree,  of  one  year's  growth  from  the  bud.  Cut 
away,  close  and  smooth,  all  the  limbs  one  foot  upwards 
from  the  root ;  leave  two  full,  healthy  buds,  or  eyes,  on 
each  side,  and  as  nearly  opposite  each  other 
as  practicable ;  disbud  those  shooting  at  right 
angles  with  these,  and  then  cut  off  the  top  of 
the  stem  about  one  inch  above  the  uppermost 
buds.  You  how  have  the  stock  for  the  com- 
ing tree,  which  is  to  be  trained  according  to 
the  fan-shaped,  or  horizontal,  method,  as  the  convenience, 
taste,  or  fancy  of  the  proprietor  may  dictate,  and  it  will 
present  the  appearance  of  figure  20. 

This  stock  is  now  planted  in  the  border,  at  the  proper 
distance  from  the  wall.  If  it  is  to  be  in  the  open  air,  on 
the  south  side  of  a  wall,  this  will  be  about  fifteen  or 
eighteen  inches ;  if  under  glass,  about  a  foot  inside  the 
south  side  of  the  peach  house.  The  ground  should  be 
well  pulverized,  and  moderately  rich.  Plant  at  the  same 
depth  as  the  stock  grew  in  the  nursery.  Incline  the  stock 
very  slightly  towards  the  wall,  whether  in  or  out  doors. 
The  two  pair  of  buds  will  soon  send  out  shoots,  strong 
and  vigorous,  as  the  nourishment  from  the  roots  will  be 
abundant,  or  rather  superabundant,  for  the  preponderance 
of  the  stock  is  now  greatly  in  the  roots,  and  nature  will 


148    r  PEACH    CULTURE. 

be  constantly  striving  to  restore  the  equilibrium  so  re- 
cently destroyed  by  cutting  off  the  top.  On  the  preserva- 
tion of  these  shoots  from  injury,  and  their  proper  training, 
much  depends  the  beauty  and  fruitfulness  of  the  future 
tree.  As  soon  as  they  become  a  foot  long,  they  should  be 
inclined  towards  the  trellis,  and  it  may  be  proper  to  tie 
them  to  small  stakes  set  for  that  purpose.  When  they 
reach  eighteen  inches  or  two  feet,  they  may  be  tied  to  the 
trellis;  and  care  must  be  taken,  subsequently,  to  tie  them 
up  as  their  length  increases,  to  prevent  their  being  broken 
off,  or  taking  a  crooked  shape.  These  shoots,  or  branches, 
must  not  be  allowed  to  grow  either  horizontally  or  verti- 
cally, but  at  a  proper  angle  between  the  two.  If  drawn 
out  horizontally,  they  will  continually  send  out  lateral 
shoots  from  the  upper  side,  in  a  vertical  direction,  which 
will  have  to  be  rubbed  off,  or  defeat  the  end  entirely.  If 
rubbed  off,  new  ones  will  be  continually  taking  their 
places,  and  the  cultivator  will  find  himself  engaged  in  a 
constant  warfare  against  nature.  If  not  rubbed  off,  they 
will  soon  cover  the  entire  surface,  and  as  effectually  frus- 
trate his  design.  The  first  aim  is  to  form  a  handsome 
tree,  capable  of  producing  the  largest  practicable  amount 
of  good  fruit  on  a  given  surface.  In  direct  furtherance 
of  this,  these  four  primary  branches  are  to  be  trained. 
And  the  second  aim  is  to  so  direct,  balance,  and  train 
them,  that  each  shall  contribute  its  full  share  towards 
forming  the  complete  tree.  This  should  never  be  lost 
sight  of.  The  natural  direction  of  the  main  stem  is  verti- 
cal, and  the  natural  flow  of  the  sap  upward.  Hence  it  is 
that  top  buds  are  best  supplied  with  sap,  and  uppermost 
branches  draw  most  strength  from  the  roots.  But  in  this 
artificial  training,  this  natural  tendency  must  be  checked 
and  controlled ;  and  the  first  care  of  the  skillful  gardener 
is  to  so  dispose  these  branches  that  uniformity  of  size  and 
strength  may  be  attained.  In  order  to  do  so,  it  is  plain 
the  lower  branches  ought  to  have  a  more  vertical  inclina* 


SPECIAL   CULTTTEE. 


149 


Fig.  21. — GROWTH   DUKING 
SUMMER. 


tion  than  the  upper  ones ;  for  if  each  have  the  same  in- 
clination, the  flow  of  the  sap  to  the  upper  ones  will  be 
much  greater  than  to  the  lower  ones,  hence  they  will  grow 
rapidly,  but  at  the  expense  of  the  others.  Now,  by  bend- 
ing the  upper  ones  down  to  an  angle  of  about  thirty  or 
thirty-five  degrees,  while  we  allow  the  lower  ones  to  stand 

at  forty-five  or  fifty,  the  de- 
sired result  is  attained.  The 
training  of  the  branches 
should  commence  as  soon  as 
they  are  eighteen  or  twenty 
inches  long.  A  young  tree, 
properly  started,  will  present 
the  form  given  in  fig.  21, about 
the  first  of  July  after  planting.  The  upper  and  lower 
branches  cross  each  other,  and  this  is  likely  to  be  the  case 
while  training,  but  it  is  not  to  be  the  permanent  position. 
When  the  tree  becomes  complete,  and  has  acquired  a  fixed 
habit,  the  branches  will  resume  their  natural  and  relative 
position,  as  in  figure  22. 

*And  if,  while  in  training,  difference  in  growth  should 
require  it,  the  inclination  will 
have  to  be  changed  by  rais- 
ing or  lowering  the  branches, 
so  as  to  maintain  an  equal 
flow  of  sap  to  each,  and  a  con- 
sequent uniformity  of  size. 
All  buds  showing  themselves 
on  the  main  stem  are  to  be 
rubbed  off  as  soon  as  they  ap- 

,      ,          ,  ,  /       *  Fig.  22.— END    OF   FIRST  TEAR. 

pear  ;  and  should  any  of  the 

shoots  become  forked  or  deformed,  they  should  be  imme- 
diately pruned  so  as  to  correct  the  fault.  In  case  of  a 
fork,  this  may  be  done  by  cutting  off  the  less  of  the  two 
prongs ;  in  case  of  a  crook,  bruise,  or  knot,  the  best  way 
is  to  cut  off  the  faulty  part  just  above  a  thrifty  twig,  or 


150  PEACH  CULTURE. 

bud,  and  train  the  latter  for  the  main  shoot.  In  the  latter 
case,  care  must  be  taken  to  pinch  in  the  twigs  below,  and 
on  the  opposite  side,  in  order  to  throw  more  strength  in 
to  the  leader. 

At  the  end  of  the  season,  if  all  things  have  been  con- 
ducive, the  shoots  will  have  made  a  uniform  growth  of 
well  matured  wood,  of  from  four  to  six  feet  respectively. 
The  next  spring  this  should  be  cut  in  about  one-half,  as 
shown  by  the  cross-lines  in  figure  22.  It  may  be  done  in 
the  fall,  and  often  is,  but  we  do  not  advise  it. 

The  next  spring,  the  second  season's  training  begins  by 
leaving  one  only  of  the  numerous  buds  which  shoot  out 
near  the  top  of  the  main  stem,  and  rubbing  off  all  the 
others.  This  bud  will  grow  rapidly,  and  soon  develop  a 
stout,  thrifty  shoot.  This  is  to  be  trained  vertically.  If 
its  growth  be  very  rapid,  it  may  be  checked,  as  occasion 
requires,  by  inclining  it  towards  the  horizon ;  or  it  may 
be  shortened-in  by  pinching  off  the  leading  bud.  In  the 
former  case,  care  must  be  taken  that  it  does  not  acquire 
too  much  rigidity  in  its  temporary  position,  as  it  is  ulti,- 
mately  designed  for  the  main  stem,  and  should  be  both 
healthy  and  handsome  ;  and  in  the  latter,  that  the  pinch- 
ing in  should  not  be  too  frequent  or  severe,  lest  the  latent 
buds  of  the  next  year  be  forced  into  premature  develop- 
ment. In  the  meantime,  the  branches  already  formed 
must  not  be  neglected.  They  will  send  forth  numerous 
lateral,  as  well  as  point,  buds.  Many  of  the  former 
should  be  rubbed  off,  in  order  that  the  strength  of  the 
sap  may  be  led  into  those  that  are  needed,  and  all  but  one 
of  the  latter.  This  one  is  to  be  preserved  and  trained  for 
an  extension  of  the  lateral  branches  of  last  year,  respect- 
ively, and  is  to  be  managed  precisely  as  the  vertical  one, 
above  described,  is  for  the  extension  of  the  main  stem. 
And  all  the  gardener  has  to  do  during  the  second  season 
is  to  watch  the  development  of  these  branches,  and  ter- 
minal buds,  gradually  advancing  into  shoots,  and  preserve, 


SPECIAL   CtTLTURfi.  1&1 

as  before,  the  proper  equilibrium  of  sap  flow,  and  uni- 
formity of  size4,  by  pinching  in  the  buds,  or  raising  or 
lowering  the  branches,  as  occasion  may  require.  At  the 
end  of  the  second  year,  the  tree  will  present  the  appear- 
ance of  figure  23. 

The  stem  will  be  quite  stout,  and  the  wood  of  the 
branches  will  be  solid  and  mature ;    and  some,  perhaps 
many,  fruit-buds  will  show  themselves.     These  should  be 
rubbed  off,  except  a  few  on  the  thriftiest  twigs,  which 
may  be  left  to  fruit.     But  as  the  tree  is  now  entering  upon 
a  new  stage  of  existence,  care  must  be  exercised  that  it 
does  not  overbear ;   for  if  it 
does,   it    will    probably    be 
greatly  stunted  in  its  growth, 
and  its  capacity  to  produce 
regular    crops  of    fine,   rich 
fruit,  greatly  impaired,  if  not 
wholly  destroyed.  The  quan- 
tity a  tree,  three  years  old, 
may  safely  bear,  will,  in  some 

-  .»  .,  .  Fl£.  23. — END    OF    SECOND   YEAR. 

manner,    depend     upon     its 

size  and  vigor.  A  very  strong,  healthy  tree,  of  large 
growth,  may  bear,  perhaps,  fifty  peaches,  without  injury, 
while  a  dozen  would  be  quite  enough  on  one  of  a  small 
size,  or  more  delicate  variety.  In  any  case,  the  thinning 
out  should  be  done  in  the  b ud,  as  the  development  of 
blossoms  and  growth  of  fruit  are  very  exhaustive. 

With  the  first  flow  of  sap,  the  third  spring,  the  tree  is 
to  be  again  pruned ;  and  this  is  done  by  cutting  down 
the  last  season's  growth  of  the  main  stem  to  two  buds  on 
each  side,  as  at  the  first ;  and  the  last  year's  growth  of 
the  lateral  branches  is  to  be  cut  in  one-half,  as  indicated 
in  the  cross-lines  in  figure  23. 

The  tree  has  now  had  three  years'  growth,  and  still  an- 
other is  necessary  to  complete  it ;  but  the  process  is  sim- 
ply a  repetition  of  that  already  described — a  continuation 


152  PEACa   CULTURE* 


and  extension  of  what  has  already  been  done.  It  is  proper 
to  add  that  the  lateral  branches  must  be  gradually  in- 
clined downward  until  they  reach  the  position  they  are 
intended  to  occupy,  which  may  be  fan-shaped  or  hori- 
zontal, —  at  the  option  of  the  proprietor.  For  ourselves, 
we  prefer  the  fan-shaped,  as  being  nearer  the  natural  posi- 
tion, and,  therefore,  best,  (fig.  24). 

In  this  elaborate  culture,  it  will  be  observed  that  the 
extension  of  the  main  stem,  as  well  as  the  branches,  is  by 


Fig.  24.— TRAINING   COMPLETE. 


regular  annual  stages.  It  is  tedious,  and  somewhat  la- 
borious, and  the  inexperienced  may  ask — Why  not  let  the 
tree  take  its  natural  course,  and  attain  its  size  as  soon  as 
may  be  ?  The  reason  has  been  already  intimated.  It  is, 
that  the  flow  of  sap,  being  constantly  upward,  would  give 
a  preponderating  size,  strength  and  fruitfulness  to  a  few 
main  branches,  while  all  the  others  would  be  correspond- 
ingly reduced,  weakened  and  sterilized ;  while  the  object 
of  the  training  is  to  make  every  part  fruitful.  And  these 
stages  in  the  growth  greatly  tend  to  this,  as  a  moment's 


SPECIAL   CULTURE.  153 

Consideration  will  show;  for  it  will  be  observed  that  the 
first  year's  growth,  both  of  main  stem  and  branches,  is 
larger  than  the  second,  the  second  than  the  third,  and  the 
third  than  the  fourth.  In  this  way,  the  parts  of  the  tree 
which  naturally  retain  less  sap  are  enabled  to  retain  an 
equal,  or  nearly  equal,  quantity,  and  are  thus  provided 
with  the  vital  force  necessary  to  produce  a  corresponding 
crop  of  fruit. 

In  our  directions,  so  far,  we  have  said  little  or  nothing 
of  the  twigs,  or  laterals,  on  the  main  branches ;  but  near- 
ly as  much  will  depend  on  the  treatment  of  these  as  of 
the  stem  and  principal  branches  themselves.  But,  when 
understood,  the  labor  is  easy  and  light.  All  superfluous 
buds  must  be  rubbed  off  as  they  appear,  and  the  strength 
be  preserved  for  the  fruit-bearing  wood.  The  main  stem, 
particularly,  must  not  be  allowed  to  nourish  even  a  single 
sucker,  the  branches  only  enough  twigs  to  bear  a  full 
crop.  All  others  must  be  rubbed  off  or  cut  in.  In  prun- 
ing these  twigs  in  the  summer,  and  especially  when  the 
season  is  somewhat  advanced,  care  must  be  taken  to  leave 
enough  wood  and  leaves  to  use  the  sap,  and  prevent  its 
starting  the  fruit-buds  of  the  next  season,  whereby  the 
crop  would  be  greatly  injured  or  totally  destroyed.  And 
here,  again,  the  operator  will  need  to  be  wary  as  well  as 
diligent. 

The  pruning  of  the  twigs,  which  are  the  fruit-bearing 
wood,  is  almost  identical  with  that  of  the  vine  when 
trained  on  the  spur  system.  They  are  first  thinned  to  the 
requisite  number,  the  most  healthy  and  vigorous  ones  be- 
ing left ;  they  are  then  shorten  ed-in  to  a  proper  length ; 
and  this  will  depend  much  upon  the  distance  between  the 
main  branches  themselves.  The  twigs  of  proximate 
branches  may  touch  each  other,  but  must  not  overlap.  A 
full  grown  tree,  properly  pruned,  will  present  early  in  the 
spring,  just  before  the  buds  shoot,  an  appearance  some- 
what like  that  seen  in  fig.  24. 


154  PEACH    CULTURE. 

From  this  figure  it  is  readily  seen  that  all  the  space  is 
covered  with  bearing  wood,  and  is  renewed  from  year  to 
year  by  cutting  out  old  twigs,  and  supplying  their  places 
with  new  ones.  To  the  inexperienced  and  timid,  this  is 
quite  a  task,  but  a  little  practice  will  soon  make  it  an  in- 
teresting and  agreeable  labor. 

The  method  we  have  just  described  is  equally  well  suit- 
ed to  trellis,  wall  or  peach-house  culture.  In  the  last  case, 
the  branches  are  fastened  to  the  rafters  of  the  glass  roof, 
or  an  inside  trellis-work  attached  to  them,  and  should  be 
from  eight  inches  to  a  foot  below  the  glass. 


CHAPTER    XXVHI. 

THE    PEACH-HOUSE. 

The  peach-house  is  to  the  peach  what  the  grapery  is  to 
the  vine.  The  object  is  to  protect  the  tree  from  external 
cold,  or  stimulate  it  by  artificial  heat,  or  both.  The  style 
of  the  building  varies  according  to  the  taste  of  the  pro- 
prietor. The  simplest  are  generally  the  best.  For  persons 
who  are  familiar  with  graperies  and  green-houses,  no  de- 
scription or  instruction  will  be  necessary ;  but  for  those 
who  have  no  knowledge  of  the  matter,  the  following 
hints  may  be  useful. 

If  it  be  intended  to  use  artificial  heat,  in  order  not  only 
to  protect  the  fruit  from  killing  frosts,  but  also  to  stimu- 
late the  trees,  and  accelerate  early  ripening,  the  builder 
must  determine  on  a  plan  for  the  whole,  and  which  must 
harmonize  throughout.  He  will  first  consider  how  many 
trees  for  which  he  has  to  provide  space,  then,  whether  or 
not  that  space  can  be  properly  heated  with  one  furnace; 


THE  PEACH-HOUSE.  155 

if  not,  whether  he  will  incur  the  expense  of  two ;  and 
again,  whether  he  will  have  two  rows  or  one  in  his  peach- 
house.  An  ordinary  furnace  will,  with  ordinary  care,  suf- 
ficiently heat  five  thousand  five  hundred  cubic  feet  of 
air.  Now,  if  a  single  furnace  is  to  command  the  entire 
peach-house,  it  must  not  include  more  than  that  space. 
This  may  take  any  convenient  form.  The  most  common 
is  a  longitudinal  one.  A  very  convenient  peach-house  will 


Fig.  25. — PEACH-HOUSE. 

be  50  feet  long,  12  feet  wide,  and  4  feet  high  on  the  south 
side,  and  14  on  the  north,  as  in  fig.  25. 

The  north  wall  may  be  of  almost  any  material — brick, 
stone,  or  wood.  The  south  side  of  a  stable,  barn,  or 
warehouse,  may  sometimes  be  appropriated  for  the  back 
of  the  peach-house.  The  south  Avail  is  also  solid,  and  may 
be  made  of  any  material  suitable  for  any  other  kind  of 
building.  The  ends  are  usually  solid  also,  but  not  neces- 
sarily so ;  and  in  shady  places,  it  is  advisable  that  the 
west  end  be  of  glass,  like  the  roof.  Remember  the  di- 
mensions :  North  wall,  14  feet  high,  and  50  feet  long ; 
south  wall,  4  feet  high,  and  50  feet  long;  each  end  12 
feet  long,  4  feet  high  at  south  end,  sloping  upwards  and 


156  PEACH    CULTURE. 

backwards  until  it  reaches  a  height  of  14  feet.  The  roof 
is  supported  by  rafters  running  from  the  low  wall  on  the 
*  south  to  the  high  one  on  the  north ;  and  these  rafters 
should  be  spaced  to  correspond  with  the  width  of  the 
glass  used  in  constructing  the  roof.  A  foot  or  fifteen 
inches  apart  will  do  very  well.  These  rafters  are  grooved 
on  the  upper  side,  to  admit  the  glass  in  the  same  manner 
as  the  frames  for  covering  approved  hot-beds.  The  glass 
reaches  from  one  rafter  to  another,  lies  in  these  grooves, 
and  is  secured  by  putty  in  the  usual  manner.  In  putting 
in  the  glass,  the  glazier,  commencing  at  the  bottom,  or 
low  wall,  lays  one  pane,  and  then  another,  allowing  the 
lower  edge  of  the  second  one  to  overlap  the  upper  edge 
of  the  first  about  half  an  inch,  and  so  throughout,  so  as 
to  make  a  perfect  water  shed. 

When  cold  air  is  to  be  introduced  from  the  floor  or 
ends,  the  roof  m.iy  be  of  one  entire  piece ;  but  if  from 
the  roof,  this  is  provided  for  in  its  construction ;  and  the 
best  and  most  convenient  method  is  to  have  the  rafters 
mortised  into  a  beam,  at  a  suitable  distance  from  the 
•J  south  wall — say  four  feet — and  glaze  in  the  manner  de- 
scribed above,  upward  from  this.  The  lower  section  will 
consist  of  squares,  fastened  with  hinges  in  their  upper 
edges  on  the  beam,  and  lying  flat  on  the  south  wall. 
These  can  be  raised  or  closed,  as  occasion  may  require. 

If  the  house  is  to  be  ventilated  at  the  ends,  it  can  be 
done  by  either  wooden  or  glass  doors ;  but,  in  any  case, 
care  must  be  taken  that  they  close  tight,  as  otherwise  a 
sudden  severe  frost  may  surprise  the  gardener,  and  greatly 
disappoint  and  mortify  the  owner. 

The  furnace  is  properly  placed,  just  outside  the  end 
wall,  and  it  is  not  material  which  wall.  Convenience  will 
usually  decide  this.  The  flue  may  be  either  close  to  the 
north  wall,  or  six  feet  south  of  it,  as  one  or  two  rows  of 
trees  are  to  be  planted.  It  may  be  under  the  surface  or 
above  it — an  arched  trench,  or  stove-pipe,  or  a  combina- 


THE   PEACH-HOUSE.  157 

tion  of  both,  and  the  last  is  best ;  because,  if  an  arched 
trench  is  used  without  the  pipe,  there  is  danger  that  cracks 
may  occur,  and  thus  let  in  a  stream  of  smoke  and  heat 
upon  the  trees  or  fruit ;  while,  if  the  pipe  only  is  em- 
ployed, there  is  danger  of  overheating.  A  pipe,  enclosed 
in  a  trench,  provi  les  against  both  dangers.  The  trench 
and  pipe  should  extend  the  entire  length  of  the  building, 
and  a  vertical  flue,  or  chimney,  should  occupy  precisely 
the  same  relative  position  on  the  outside  of  the  second 
wall,  that  the  furnace  does  on  the  first. 

There  i»,  as  a  rule,  very  little  inconvenience  felt  from 
the  difference  in  the  heat  at  the  extreme  ends  of  the  flue ; 
but  should  it  be  necessary,  it  can  be  equalized,  in  a  great 
measure,  in  one  or  other  of  the  two  following  simple 
ways :  make  the  casing  of  the  pipe  thinner  as  it  recedes 
from  the  furnace,  or  increase  the  volume  of  the  pipe.  By 
the  former  method,  the  heat  will  be  sooner  radiated,  and 
by  the  latter,  more  radiating  surface  will  be  provided,  as 
the  distance  from  the  furnace  increases.  The  heat  thrown 
out  can  also  be  modified  by  the  depth  of  the  trench  as 
well  as  the  thickness  of  the  casing.  A  mild,  uniform  heat 
should  be  aimed  at. 

When  only  one  row  of  trees  is  to  be  planted,  the  flue 
should  pass  about  one  foot  inside  the  north  wall,  the  aim 
being  to  have  it  as  far  removed  from  the  trees  and  fruit 
as  practicable.  But  if  two  rows,  then  six  feet  from  the  ' 
north  wall  will  be  as  nearly  the  proper  place  as  may  be, 
the  hight  of  the  roof  at  the  north,  equalizing  the  greater 
horizontal  distance  from  the  south.  Sometimes  the  flue 
is  in  the  center  of  the  house,  but  the  objection  to  this  is 
that  the  temperature  is  never  equable.  A  less  serious  one 
is  that  it  obstructs  the  light. 

The  whole  floor  of  the  peach-house,  but  especially  the 
borders,  in  which  the  trees  are  to  be  planted,  should  be 
of  good,  friable,  productive  soil.  Not  only  so,  but  also 
the  soil  outside  both  the  north  and  south  walls,  where 


158  PEACH    CULTURE. 

two  rows  are  planted,  for  a  distance  of  six  feet,  at  least; 
for,  although  the  trees  are  planted  inside  the  walls,  they 
are  to  draw  much  of  their  aliment  from  the  outside.  The 
number  of  trees  in  a  house,  such  as  we  haye  described, 
with  double  rows,  will  be  either  twelve  or  sixteen — six  or 
eight  to  a  row.  The  lateral  branches  of  a  good,  thrifty 
tree  may  extend  four  feet  on  either  side ;  and  if  so,  there 
will  be  space  for  only  six  trees  to  the  row.  But  some 
gardeners  will  prefer  that  the  arms  be  only  three  feet  long. 
In  the  latter  case,  there  will  be  eight  trees.  It  matters 
very  little  which  number  he  adopted.  Either  will  do  very 
well,  and,  by  proper  training,  about  the  same  quantity 
and  quality  of  fruit  may  be  produced. 

The  trees  on  the  south,  or  low  wall,  are  trained  under 
the  glass  roof,  at  a  distance  of  eight  or  ten  inches  from  it, 
and  are  fastened  to  the  rafters  by  small  wires,  or  to  an 
inside  trellis  fastened  to  the  rafters.  The  branches,  as 
well  as  the  main  stem,  may  be  carried  to  the  middle  of 
the  roof,  but  not  beyond  it,  as  the  light  above  that  will 
be  wanted  for  the  other  row. 

The  north,  or  rear  row,  is  trained  against  the  rear  wall, 
which  should  always  be  plastered  or  whitewashed,  and 
may  be  carried  to  its  entire  height — fourteen  feet.  In 
both  cases  the  training  and  culture  are  the  same,  except 
that  in  the  south  row,  the  sloping  roof  compels  the  trees 
to  incline  towards  the  north,  while  the  trees  in  the  north 
row  take  the  erect  position.  It  will  be  readily  seen  that 
the  peach-house  admits  both  the  fan-shaped  and  horizontal 
system  of  training. 

We  have  already  given  what  we  regard  as  the  proper 
size  for  a  peach-house,  but  it  may  be  of  almost  any  shape 
or  size ;  still,  it  will  be  well  to  remember,  that  small  ones 
are  better  forcers,  and,  if  early  maturity  be  an  object,  are 
to  be  preferred — while  large  ones  give  more  space,  and 
larger  crops.  If  only  one  row  of  trees  is  to  be  planted, 
they  need  not  be  more  than  ten  or  twelve  feet  wide, 


THE   PEACH-HOUSE.  159 

They  may  be  very  plain  or  very  ornate,  as  the  taste 
and  means  of  the  proprietor  will  allow.  As  they  are  es- 
sentially a  luxury,  good  taste  will  dictate  that  they  be  at 
least  neat  and  pleasant  to  the  eye.  When  means  are  at 
command,  they  may  be  made  very  ornamental  and  at- 
tractive. 

The  management  of  a  peach-house,  or  vinery,  is  one  of 
the  most  delicate  and  important  branches  of  horticulture, 
end  requires  constant  attention  and  care.  The  three  es- 
sentials are — pure  air,  proper  temperature,  and  cleanliness. 
These  are  about  as  necessary  to  the  life  of  a  tree  as  to 
that  of  a  man.  The  first  is  at  hand  in  inexhaustible 
quantity,  and  all  the  gardener  has  to  do  is  to  open  the 
windows  and  let  it  in.  But  he  must  take  care  when  he 
does  it,  and  how  he  does  it,  for  his  charge  is  almost  as 
tender  as  the  little  ones  of  the  nursery,  and  almost  as 
easily  injured  by  ignorance  or  carelessness. 

When  the  forcing  commences,  and  it  may  commence  as 
early  as  January,  the  temperature  may  range  from  fifty 
to  fifty-five  degrees,  Fahrenheit,  in  the  evenings  and 
mornings.  At  night  it  may  fall  a  little  below  even  fifty 
without  detriment.  As  soon  as  the  buds  have  burst  it 
may  be  raised  to  seventy,  and  when  the  flowers  appear, 
four  or  five  degrees  higher.  From  the  time  the  flowers 
appear  until  the  fruit  is  set,  the  air  must  be  kept  mildly 
moist,  and  this  can  be  done  by  frequent  sprinklings  with 
a  syringe,  which  may  also  serve  to  cleanse  the* leaves  and 
branches.  Even  after  the  fruit  is  set,  and  somewhat 
advanced  in  growth,  these  sprinklings  will  be  necessary. 
When  the  season  advances,  and  the  heat  reaches  seventy- 
five  degrees  outside,  no  artificial  heat  will  be  needed,  ex- 
cept in  cold  evenings,  when  a  little  must  be  introduced  to 
prevent  chilling,  or  in  murky  weather,  to  drive  away  the 
unhealthy  humid  atmosphere. 

Frequent  washings  with  a  garden  syringe  will  do  much 
to  preserve  the  freshness  and  health  of  the  trees,  as  well 


160 


PEACH    CULTURE. 


as  to  promote  and  accelerate  the  ripening  of  the  fruit. 
Soap-suds  are  excellent  for  this,  as  they  not  only  keep 
the  trees  clean,  but  afford  a  safe  and  very  appropriate 
nourishment. 


CULTIVATION  IN  POTS. 

The  peach,  like  almost  every  other  fruit  tree,  can  be 

successfully  grown  in  pots  or  vases.  When  this  is  desir- 
ed, procure  a  pot  about  two  feet  deep,  and 
fifteen  inches  wide  at  the  greatest  diameter, 
and  of  the  usual  shape.  It  may  be  larger  or 
smaller  as  the  taste  of  the  amateur  inclines 
him.  Fill  this  with  a  rich  mould,  mixe<l  freely 
with  ashes  or  bone-dust.  In  this,  plant  a 
thrifty  young  tret)  from  the  nursery,  which 
you  will  cut  down  to  one  foot,  and  the  lower 

branches  to  the  height  of  six  inches,  cut  off  close  to  the 

stem,  and  the  remaining  buds  sliortened-in  to  two  buds 

each,  as  in  fig.  26.     This  should  be  done  in  autumn,  and  the 

pot  kept  in  the  cellar  during  winter. 

The  next  spring  it  should  be  set  out 

early.     It  will  grow  very  fast  and 

vigorously,  and  become  quite  stout 

and  stocky.     In  the  fall,  say  about 

the  first  of  September,  north  of  the 

fortieth  parallel,  and  south  of  that, 

the  first  of  October,  the  season's 

growth  should  again  *be  short  ened- 

in  to  three  buds,  as  shown  by  the 

cross-lines   in  figure  27,   and   thus 

prepared  for  a  crop  the  next  year. 

well  attended,  and  met  with  nothing  to  injure  or  retard 

it,  well  developed  fruit-buds  will  be  formed,  and  the  next 

season  you  will  have  a  crop  of  beautiful  fruit.    And  if  you 

put  it  in  a  conservatory,  or  cold  grapery,  you  can 


Fig.  27. — POT  CULTURE. 
If  the  tree  has  been 


YAEIETIES.  .       161 

ripe  fruit  by  the  middle  of  June,  or  even  earlier.  The 
ripening  of  the  fruit  may  also  be  hastened  by  simply 
exposing  your  tree  in  some  warm  position  early  in  the 
spring,  carefully  removing  it  to  a  shelter  from  cold  and 
frosts  at  night  and  on  cold  days,  or,  which  is  still  better 
in  an  ordinary  garden  hot-bed. 

In  pots,  is  the  appropriate  method  of  cultivating  Van 
Buren's  Golden  Dwarf;  but  as  it  is  a  dwarf  naturally, 
cutting-in  will  seldom  be  necessary. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

VARIETIES. 

The  varieties  of  the  Peach,  as  of  many  other  fruits,  are 
very  numerous,  and  may  be  almost  indefinitely  increased 
by  propagation.  More  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  have  been 
already  catalogued,  and  this  does  not  include  the  naturals, 
which  are  as  numerous  and  various  as  the  budded  ones. 
But,  of  all  these,  only  a  fe\v,  comparatively,  are  valuable,, 
and  worthy  of  cultivation.  Were  five-sixths  of  the  whole 
condemned  and  rejected,  it  would  be  as  greatly  to  private 
profit  as  to  public  advantage.  But  this  desirable  result, 
at  present,  seems  unattainable.  The  obstacles  are  two. 
Young  and  inexperienced  planters  generally  desire  a  large 
variety.  They  want  some  of  almost  every  kind,  not  re- 
flecting that  it  costs  just  as  much  to  rear  a  poor  tree  as  a 
good  one,  while  the  latter  will  often  pay  them  two  or 
three  times  as  much  as  the  former.  But  they  have  to 
learn  wisdom  by  experience,  and  are  somewhat  excusable* 
As  they  grow  older,  they  grow  wiser. 

The  other  obstacle  is  in  the  nurserymen,  and  the  one 
contributes  to  the  other.  The  nurserymen  know  well  the 
11 


162  PEACH    CULTURE. 

desire  there  is  among  novices  to  multiply  varieties,  and  it 
is  their  interest  to  gratify,  if  not  to  stimulate  and  culti- 
vate it ;  hence  they  make  it  a  point  to  keep  all  the  varie- 
ties they  think  will  be  called  for ;  as  well  to  supply  every 
demand,  as  to  be  reckoned  growers  of  large  and  varied 
stock.  Owing  to  these  two  causes,  reciprocally  acting  on 
und  aiding  each  other,  myriads  of  worthless  trees  are 
planted  every  year. 

There  is  an  auxiliary  cause,  tending  incidentally  to  the 
same  result,  which  ought  not  to  be  removed,  but  only  re- 
stricted to  proper  limits.  This  "is  the  discovery  or  origi- 
nating of  new  varieties.  A  nurseryman  discovers,  or 
thinks  he  has  discovered,  a  new  variety  of  value.  His 
interest  often  increases  his  estimate  of  its  worth.  He  im- 
mediately sets  about  propagating  it.  Every  bud  in  hi* 
ingenious  hands  becomes  a  tree,  and  every  tree,  a  year 
after,  a  hundred,  and  so  on,  until  he  has  tens  of  thousands 
for  sale.  These  must  be  disposed  of  at  prices  yielding  a 
large  profit.  They  are  extensively  advertised,  and  as  ex- 
tensively disseminated.  They  go  into  all  quarters,  and 
are  largely  planted.  And  this  increase  is  generally  to  be 
multiplied  by  the  number  of  nurserymen  engaged  in  the 
business.  And,  as  we  have  already  jntimated,  if  confined 
to  proper  limits,  it  is  both  legitimate  and  commendable, 
because  every  real  improvement  is  a  substantial  acquisi- 
tion and  valuable  addition  to  the  public  weal,  and  should 
be  encouraged  and  fostered.  But  the  misfortune  is,  that 
these  new  varieties  which  have  cost  so  much,  often  turn 
out  to  be  poor  bearers,  of  inferior  quality,  or  perhaps  en- 
tirely worthless.  In  some  cases,  the  fault  is  wholly  with 
the  originator  who  introduced  and  disseminated  them. 
He  may  have  done  so  solely  for  lucre,  and  totally  regard- 
less of  character  and  honesty ;  but  this  is  not  generally 
the  case.  In  most  instance?,  he  honestly  believes  in  the 
value  of  his  production  ;  but  vn  this  he  is  mistaken.  He 
has  not  sufficiently  tested  i<".  He  has  not  considered  the 


VARIETIES.  163 

now  well  established  fact  that  climate,  soil  and  position 
greatly  affect  the  value  of  particular  varieties.  That 
what  may  be  exceedingly  valuable  in  one  latitude,  may  be 
almost  worthless  in  another ;  that  what  may  be  first-class 
in  a  light,  sandy  soil,  may  be  third-rate  in  a  clayey  one  ; 
that  what  may  be  a  hardy,  productive  tree  in  a  sheltered 
yard,  may  be  tender  or  barren  when  exposed  in  an  opei 
orchard.  To  all  these  tests  the  new  candidate  for  public 
favor  should  be  subjected.  If  it  pass  them  all  satisfac- 
torily, it  may,  and  ought  to,  be  received,  and  placed  upon 
the  list  of  approved  varieties,  but  not  before,  for  great 
injury  and  loss  have  resulted  from  the  extensive  planting 
of  highly  praised,  but  poorly  tested,  varieties ;  and  it  ia 
time  planters  should  give  this  matter  their  attention. 
There  has  been  too  much  laxity  in  the  past ;  let  there  be 
more  care  in  the  future. 

We  have  alluded,  incidentally,  to  the  difference  of  lati- 
tude in  determining  the  value  of  a  variety.  We  now  fur- 
ther remark  that  it  often  determines  the  incidental  local 
value  of  the  same  variety.  Take,  for  instance, the  Amsden's 
June,  which  is  the  earliest  variety  of  which  we  have  any 
knowledge — certainly  the  earliest  one  in  general  cultiva- 
tion. Between  the  extreme  limits,  north  and  south,  of 
the  peach  bearing  district  in  our  own  country,  there  is  at 
least  two  months'  difference  in  the  time  of  its  ripening. 

In  Florida,  the  middle  of  June;  in  New  York,  the 
middle  of  August.  Now,  for  the  South,  you  want  the 
earliest  variety  that  can  be  had,  in  order  to  be  first  in 
market ;  but  it  does  not  necessarily  follow  that  you  want 
the  same  variety  for  the  North,  and  for  this  reason :  Very 
early  and  very  late  varieties,  as  a  rule,  are  not  the  best, 
but,  because  of  the  season  of  their  ripening,  they  com- 
mand high  prices,  and  are,  therefore,  profitable.  Take 
the  New  York  market  for  an  illustration.  This  market 
opens  about  the  twenty-fifth  of  July  with  Hale's  Early, 
but  the  Deaches  have  been  grown  on  the  Delaware  Penin- 


164  PEACH    CULTURE. 

sula,  two  hundred  miles  south  of  that  city,  and  cannot  be 
matured  in  the  vicinity  for  a  month  later.  But  by  that 
time  it  is  the  height  of  the  peach  season,  and  Old  Mixon, 
Moords  Favorite,  Crawford**  Early  and  Late,  Reeve's 
Favorite,  Red  Rareripe  and  Stump  the  World,  the  very 
finest  varieties  in  quality  as  well  as  appearance,  are  on 
the  market,  and  arriving  by  scores  of  thousands  daily. 
Now,  it  is  quite  plain  that  Sale's  Early.,  even  from  its 
favorite  localities,  could  not  successfully  compete  with 
these  choice  kinds ;  and  how  much  less  when  grown  fur- 
ther north,  on  less  conducive  soil,  and,  consequently,  of 
smaller  size,  and  poorer  flavor  ?  The  judicious  planter, 
then,  of  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey  and  Southern  New 
York,  if  he  plant  at  all  for  market,  will  not  plant  Holds 
Early,  but,  on  the  contrary,  some  one  or  more  of  the  later 
sorts ;  and  thus,  after  the  zenith  of  the  season,  and  after 
these  favorites  have  almost  disappeared  from  the  stands, 
he  will  be  able  to  step  in,  and  prolong  their  season  three 
or  four  weeks,  at  very  handsome  profits.  The  intelligent 
planter,  on  making  his  selections,  will  always  do  so  with 
reference  to  soil,  climate  and  location,  and  even  plant  dif- 
ferent varieties  on  the  same  farm,  simply  because  one 
field  is  a  light  loam,  and  the  other  a  stiff  clay. 

After  attention  to  the  primary  question  of  soil  and  cli- 
mate, the  next  thing  to  be  considered  is  the  market  to  be 
supplied,  or  the  use  which  is  to  be  made  of  the  fruit. 
Prejudice  or  habit  often  exalts  one  variety  at  the  expense 
of  another.  This  may  have  arisen  in  whim  or  accident, 
and  may  be  continued  by  ignorance  or  selfishness.  It 
may  be  all  wrong,  but  few  have  the  courage  or  patience 
to  undertake  its  cure.  Hence,  if  people  will  give  more 
money  for  a  worse  article,  they  will  generally  be  allowed 
to  do  so.  Planters  will  not  persist  to  cure  them  of  their 
folly,  and  pay  the  doctor's  bill  at  the  same  time,  but  rather 
acquiesce  in  their  tastes,  and  minister  to  them.  Hence, 
we  send  one  variety  of  Pear  to  Boston,  another  to  New 


VARIETIES.  165 

York,  and  keep  a  third  and  better  one  at  home.  So  in 
peaches.  A  few  years  ago,  it  was  thought  there  was  no 
peach  fit  to  preserve  but  the  Heath  Cling,  and  none  fit  to 
can  but  the  white-fleshed ;  but  now  it  is  admitted  that 
several  others  may  be  preserved  ;  and,  for  canning,  yellow 
peaches  have  superseded  white  ones  almost  entirely.  But 
whatever  is  most  in  demand,  brings  the  best  price  ;  and, 
as  the  planter  plants  for  profit,  that  is  his  ultimate  aim, 
and  must  not  be  overlooked. 

If  there  is  demand  for  canning  at  home,  he  will  do  well 
to  ascertain  what  varieties  bring  the  highest  prices  at  the 
canning  establishments,  and  whether  the  demand  is  suffi- 
cient to  influence  or  control  his  planting.  If  not,  or  only 
to  a  limited  extent,  he  will  then  consider  the  requirements 
of  the  markets  to  which  his  fruit  is  to  be  sent,  and  pro- 
vide for  these. 

Our  directions  here  can  only  be  of  a  general  character, 
and  must  always  be  considered  with  reference  to  what  we 
have  already  said  of  climate,  soil  and  local  circumstances. 
One  thing  we  wish  to  impress  upon  young  planters  espe- 
cially :  It  is,  not  to  plant  too  many  varieties.  In  no  case 
should  they  exceed  twenty ;  in  most,  twelve  will  be 
enough;  and  in  some,  six  will  be  better  than  twelve. 
What  these  shall  be  will  depend  upon  the  circumstances 
we  have  already  .referred  to. 

The  different  varieties  of  the  peach  are  distinguished 
by  their  leaves,  blossoms  and  fruit,  and  sometimes  by 
the  branches  and  general  contour  of  the  head.  On  enter- 
ing an  orchard,  the  practiced  eye  of  the  skillful  nursery- 
man or  planter  will  be  able  to  distinguish  familiar  varie- 
ties at  a  glance,  in  the  absence  of  both  flowers  and 
foliage.  But  he  may  not  be  able  to  explain  satisfactorily 
why  he  can  do  so ;  it  is  a  similar  power  to  the  one  that 
enables  the  shepherd  to  distinguish  the  sheep  of  his  flock, 
although  to  a  stranger  they  all  seem  alike. 

The  most  striking  difference  in  the  leaves  of  the  peach 


166 


PEACH   CULTURE. 


Fig.  28. — GLOBOSE 

GLANDS. 


is  the  presence  or  absence  of  glands.  The  glands  are  se- 
creting cells  at  the  base  of  the  leaf,  and  forming  slight 
protuberances.  Their  secretions  are  often  fragrant  and 
agreeable.  In  some  varieties  the  glands  are  small,  round 
and  regular,  (A,  A,  fig.  28,)  and  are  called, 
in  botanical  language,  globose;  in  others 
they  are  large,  irregular,  and  kidney- 
shaped,  (A,  A,  fig.  29,)  and  are  called  reni- 
form.  There  is  still  another  character- 
istic distinction  in  the  leaves  of  the  white 
and  yellow  varieties,  and  broadly  mark- 
ing the  line  between  them.  This  is  the 
color,  which  is  nearly  as  obvious  in  the  leaf  as  the  fruit, 
and  may  be  observed  during  the  whole 
7  period  of  foliage.  In  looking  over  an 
orchard,  the  yellow  peach  trees  can 
readily  be  distinguished  by  the  yellow 
tinge  of  their  leaves ;  and  the  experienced 
planter  can  just  as  certainly  tell  the  one 
from  the  other  by  the  leaf  as  by  the 
Fig.  29.— BENIFORM  fruit.  These  distinctions  will  enable  the 
planter  to  classify  varieties,  and  to  refer 
any  variety  to  its  proper  class. 

The  blossoms  distinguish  the  peach  into  two  classes  or 
divisions  also.  In  one,  the  flowers  are  large,  red  at  the 
center,  and  pale  at  the  margin ;  in  the  other,  the  flowers 
are  small,  with  a  dark  crimson  margin.  There  are  a  few 
varieties  whose  blossoms  seem  to  possess  a  combination 
of  these  characteristics,  and  are  sometimes  referred  to  a 
third  division ;  but  their  distinctive  features  will  hardly 
justify  this  addition. 

To  common  observers,  the  fruit  affords  the  most  obvi- 
ous distinction.  Indeed,  few,  except  the  planter  and 
nurseryman,  trouble  themselves  with  anything  else.  The 
multitude  are  content  to  regale  themselves  with  the  rich, 
luscious,  melting  fruit,  without  giving  a  thought  to  tree, 


VARIETIES.  167 

leaf  or  flower;  and  perhaps  thousands  who  enjoy  this  ele- 
gant luxury  every  summer  can  hardly  tell  whether  the 
peach  tree  is  deciduous  or  evergreen,  or  even  a  tree  at 
all !  But  they  all  know  the  difference  between  a  Free- 
stone and  Cling,  a  Yellow  peach  and  a  White  one.  And 
these  are  really,  if  not  the  most  certain,  the  most  obvious 
distinctions.  Color  strikes  the  eye  at  once. 

The  ^tHiite  Peaches  are  distinguished  for  the  tender, 
delicate,  and  sparkling  quality  of  their  flesh ;  the  Yellow 
for  their  bright  color,  rich  juice,  and  great  size.  In  the 
former,  sweetness  predominates ;  in  the  latter,  strength.  To 
most  persons,  especially  those  of  experience  and  practiced 
taste,  the  former  are  most  palatable ;  yet  some,  even  of 
this  class,  prefer  the  latter.  But  to  the  multitude  at  large, 
the  bright  color  and  large  size  of  the  yellow  peaches  are 
irresistable ;  and,  as  a  rule,  they  sell  better  in  market 
than  the  white. 

The  fruit  is  again  divided  into  Freestone  and  Cling,  and 
each  of  these  divisions  includes  both  white  and  yellow 
peaches.  The  names  clearly  indicate  their  distinctive 
character.  The  former  parts  from  the  stone  freely,  while 
the  latter  clings  to  it  tenaciously.  The  clings,  especially 
of  some  varieties,  are  very  juicy  and  vinous,  and  of  ex- 
quisite flavor.  But  they  are  not  popular  as  a  market 
fruit,  owing  to  their  adhesion  to  the  stones,  which 
renders  them  inconvenient  to  eat. 

The  class,  and  sometimes  variety,  may  be  told  by  the 
branches  and  general  contour  of  the  head.  In  some,  the 
branches  strike  out  horizontally ;  in  others,  almost  verti- 
cally ;  and  in  others  still,  at  an  intermediate  angle.  The 
first  gives  the  round  head,  like  the  apple  tree ;  the  second, 
the  tapering  head,  somewhat  resembling  the  cherry  tree; 
and  the  last,  the  spreading  or  fan-shaped  head.  An  ob- 
servant planter  will  soon  notice  these  peculiarities,  and 
thus  be  able  to  tell  his  tr*1™  even  in  the  winter,  when 
stripped  of  foliage. 


168  PEACH    CULTTJKE. 

We  have  already  cautioned  the  young  planter  against 
the  common  error  of  planting  too  many  varieties.  We 
shall  now  proceed  to  advise  him  what  varieties  he  should 
select.  And  here  we  wish  still  further  to  remark,  that 
some  varieties  do  very  well  in  certain  localities,  and  very 
ill  in  others.  For  instance,  Amsden's  June,  one  of  the 
very  early  varieties,  is  a  great  favorite  in  some  localities, 
while  in  others  it  is  viewed  with  distrust.  There  may  he 
reason  in  both  instances,  as  some  localities  may  suit  it, 
while  others  do  not. 

But  experience  has  proved  that  some  varieties  do  well 
almost  in  any  place,  whatever  may  he  the  soil  or  climate: 
that  wherever  the  Peach  will  succeed  at  all,  they  will; 
and  these  may  justly  be  regarded  as- the  most  reliable  and 
valuable  of  all  for  general  cultivation.  Preeminent  among 
these  are  the  Crawfords  and  Old  Mixon.  They  are  the 
very  highest  type  of  the  white  and  yellow  varieties,  re- 
spectively ;  and  years  of  experience,  in  all  parts  of  our 
country,  place  them  at  the  very  head  of  the  list. 

From  authentic  sources,  embracing  in  territory  more 
than  twenty  States,  and  in  variety  more  than  fifty  sorts, 
we  have,  at  some  pains,  prepared  the  following  tables, 
which  show,  at  a  glance,  general  results.  But  it  must  be 
remembered  that  the  merits  of  any  given  variety  are  not 
determined  for  one  reason,  but  for  many;  and  that  a 
peach  of  the  finest  flavor  may  take  a  low  grade,  while  one 
of  very  poor  flavor  may  rank  high.  What  is  sought,  and 
what  makes  the  character,  is  a  combination  of  many 
virtues.  The  largest  number  of  these  virtues  gives  the 
highest  rank.  A  peach  may  be  of  excellent  flavor,  but  a 
poor  bearer ;  it  may  be  a  good  bearer,  but  subject  to  rot, 
or  the  crop  may  not  ripen.  It  may  be  a  good  bearer,  may 
ripen  a  crop  of  fine  flavored  fruit,  but  so  small  that  they 
will  not  sell,  and,  in  consequence,  it  goes  down  to  the  foot 
of  the  list.  Vigor  and  productiveness  of  the  tree,  and 
size,  color,  and  richness  of  the  fruit,  is  the  summit  of  the 


VARIETIES. 


169 


planter's  ambition  •    and  he  should  never  cease  striving 
for  it. 

The  following  table  shows  the  relative  popularity  of 
twelve  varieties  in  the  peach  districts,  the  contest  being 
for  the  first  rank,  and  the  figures  indicating  the  votes  by 
districts : 

Old  Mixon  Free, 9 

Crawford's  Early, 7 

Crawford's  Late, 6 

Old  Mixon  Cling, 3 

Heath   Cling, •     ....     3 

Smock, 3 

Troth, 3 

Ward's  Late, 3 

Amsden,   .    , 2 

Large   Early  York, 2 

Stump  the  World, 2 

Morris'  White, 1 

The  vote,  in  detail,  stands  thus : 

For  OLD  MIXON  FREE  :  Delaware,  District  of  Columbia, 
Central  Illinois,  Southern  Illinois,  Massachusetts,  Eastern 
New  York,  Western  New  York,  Eastern  Pennsylvania, 
and  Western  Pennsylvania. 

These  nine  districts  would  place  Old  Mixon  at  the  very 
head  of  the  list,  or,  rather,  not  allow  precedence  to  any 
other,  as  some  of  them  give  equal  grade  to  several  varie- 
ties. 

For  CRAWFORD'S  EARLY  :  Delaware,  District  of  Colum- 
bia, Southern  Indiana,  Massachusetts,  Western  New 
York,  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  and  Western  Pennsylvania. 
For  CRAWFORD'S  LATE  :  Delaware,  District  of  Columbia, 
Southern  Indiana,  Western  New  York,  Eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  Western  Pennsylvania. 

For  OLD  MIXON  CLING  :  District  of  Columbia,  Northern 
Indiana,  and  Southern  Indiana. 


170  PEACH   CULTURE. 

For  HEATH  CLING  :  Northern  Indiana,  Southern  Indiana, 
and  Southern  Ohio. 

For  SMOCK:  Central  Illinois,  Southern  Illinois,  and 
Eastern  Pennsylvania. 

For  TROTH  :  Central  Illinois,  Southern  Illinois,  and 
Eastern  Pennsylvania. 

For  WARD'S  LATE  :  Southern  Illinois,  Eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  Western  Pennsylvania. 

FOE  AMSDEN  :    Northern  Ohio,  and  Central  Ohio. 

For  LARGE  EARLY  YORK  :  Southern  Illinois,  and  Eastern 
Pennsylvania. 

For  STUMP  THE  WORLD  :  Southern  Illinois,  and  Western 
Pennsylvania. 

For  MORRIS'  WHITE  :  Southern  Indiana. 

The  second  place  is  assigned  to  the  following  seventeen 
varieties,  the  figures  opposite  denoting  the  number  of  dis- 
tricts that  give  them  this  grade  : 

Morris'  White, 17 

Early  York, 16 

George  the  Fourth, 16 

Grosse  Mignonne, 16 

Large   Early  York, 15 

Crawford's   Late, 14 

Crawford's  Early, 13 

Heath  Cling, 12 

Old  Mixon  Cling, 12 

Yellow  Rareripe, 12 

Ward's  Late, 11 

Lemon  Cling, 10 

Old  Mixon  Free, 10 

Smock, 10 

Amsden, 9 

Stump  the  World, 9 

Troth's  Early, 9 


VARIETIES. 


171 


These  tables  are  very  interesting,  as  indicating  the 
preference  given  for  the  several  varieties ;  but  the  reports, 
upon  which  they  are  base<l,  being  only  partial  or  local, 
they  must  not  be  relied  on  as  absolute  verity,  but  only  as 
proximate  truths,  derived  from  the  best  sources  of  informa- 
tion at  present  accessible.  It  will  be  further  observed 
that  these  tables  do  not  fully  indicate  the  aggregate 
merits  of  the  respective  varieties,  inasmuch  as  one  variety 
may  have,  and  often  has,  several  votes  for  the  first  grade, 
and  as  many  more  for  the  second.  Now,  neither  of  them 
gives  the  absolute  quality,  but  the  aggregate  of  both. 
This  will  appear  in  the  following  table : 


Varieties. 

Votes  far 
1st  Hank. 

Votes  far 
2d  Rank. 

Aggregate. 

Crawford's  Early  .     . 

7 

13 

20 

Crawford's   Late 

6 

14 

20 

Old  Mixon  Free  

9 

10 

19 

Morris'  White                                              .   . 

1 

17 

18 

Large  Early  York  ... 

2 

15 

17 

Early  York                                                    .  . 

16 

16 

16 

16 

16 

16 

Heath   Cling                        

3 

12 

15 

Old  Mixon  din"1                                     .   .. 

3 

12 

15 

3 

11 

14 

Smock 

3 

10 

13 

Troth                                 

3 

9 

12 

12 

12 

Amsden                        

2 

9 

11 

Stump  the  World                

2 

9 

11 

Lemon  Cling  

10 

10 

This  table  of  gradations,  from  20  to  10,  shows  at  a 
glance  the  general  estimate,  as  ascertained  from  numerous 
reports  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  may  be  safely 
relied  on  as  a  general  guide.  It  is  subject,  however,  to 
the  observations  we  have  already  made,  and  also  to  the 
following. 

Some  of  the  varieties  aboVe  named  are  of  very  poor 
quality,  but,  owing  to  their  productiveness,  and  time  of 
ripening,  are  favorites  in  some  localities.  Of  such  is  the 
Troth.  Others,  although  of  excellent  quality,  and  rea- 
sonably productive,  have  not  been  introduced,  or  exten- 
sively cultivated,  and  in  some  of  the  districts  reporting, 


172  PEACH  CULTUEB. 

have  not  been  tested,  therefore  their  merits  are  unknown* 
Of  such,  we  believe,  is  Stump  the  World. 

Since  the  publication  of  the  first  edition  in  1870,  sev- 
eral new  varieties  have  been  introduced,  and  will  be 
noticed  here.  A  further  trial  has  shown  that  Hale's 
Early  is  almost  worthless,  and,  by  common  consent  of 
growers  on  the  Delaware  Peninsula,  has  been  discarded 
in  all  lists  of  approved  or  commended  varieties. 

The  Salway,  although  a  fair  peach,  is  not  commended 
for  the  reason  that  it  is  inferior  to  the  Smock,  which 
ripens  about  the  same  time. 

The  preceding  tables,  made  up  from  reports  obtained 
for  the  first  edition,  must  not  be  taken  as  the  present 
estimate  of  growers.  An  experience  and  observation  of 
seventeen  years  has  greatly  modified  opinion  as  to  the 
merits  of  several  varieties  in  the  list,  while  some  new  and 
favorite  ones  would  be  added.  These  will  be  named  in 
the  list  of  new  peaches. 


NEW   PEACHES. 

The  following  embraces  all  the  known  varieties  of 
new  peaches  considered  of  value  enough  to  recommend  to 
growers,  with  as  full  and  accurate  a  description  as  can  be 
given  at  this  time.  It  is  always  to  be  remembered  that 
soil  and  climate,  as  well  as  culture,  has  much  to  do  with 
the  size,  quantity  and  quality  of  the  fruit ;  hence  it  is 
;that  as  these  vary  the  fruit  itself  varies,  and  what  may 
be  a  great  success  in  some  places  and  with  some  growers, 
may  be  a  partial  or  even  a  complete  failure  in  other 
places  and  with  other  growers.  Besides  this,  it  should 
also  be  remembered  that  it  usually  takes  several  years 
to  test  the  qualities  of  any  variety  ;  and  where  this  has 
not  been  done,  opinions,  founded  upon  a  few  trials,  are 
not  to  be  implicitly  relied  on.  With  these  suggestions, 
we  will  proceed  to  describe  the  new  varieties. 


VAEIETIES.  173 

ALEXANDER. 

Very  early,  usually  first  week  in  July,  but  has  been 
gathered  and  shipped  at  Dover,  Delaware,  as  early  as  the 
25th  of  June.  Size,  medium  or  below ;  nearfy  round; 
high  colored ;  does  not  ripen  all  over  at  once,  the  com- 
mon fault  of  all  very  early  peaches ;  flesh,  white  and 
juicy ;  pleasant  but  not  rich  flavor  ;  may  be  profitable  in 
some  localities,  but  is  not  commended.  The  Alexander 
is  claimed  by  most  growers  to  be  identical  with  Amsden's 
June. 

EAKLY  LOUISE. 

Follows  the  Alexander  closely.  Flesh  greenish-white 
and  sweet ;  fruit  small  and  not  handsome.  Tree  a  fair 
grower,  and  productive. 

EARLY  RIVERS. 

Follows  the  Louise.  Medium  size,  white  flesh — almost 
a  pure  white — with  a  slight  blush  when  exposed  to  the 
sun.  Tender,  and  requires  careful  handling.  Very  pleas- 
ant flavor,  and  preferable  to  Alexander  and  Louise. 

WATERLOO. 

Medium  to  large,  round,  with  a  deep  suture  on  one 
side  ;  color  pale,  with  a  fine  blush  when  exposed  to  the 
sun;  flesh  greenish-white,  juicy  and  vinous.  Has  the 
common  fault  of  not  ripening  all  over  at  once. 

EARLY  BEAUTY.    . 

An  early  Texas  variety,  not  yet  fully  tested.  Large 
yellow  freestone,  as  large  as  Crawford's  Early,  and  ripens 
just  before  Troth. 

ST.  JOHN. 

A  yellow  freestone,  about  the  size  of  the  Early  Craw- 
ford, and  a  week  or  ten  days  earlier.  *  A  desirable  peach 
for  market. 


174  PEACH  CULTURE. 

LADY  INGOLD. 

SaiJ  to  be  larger  and  earlier  than  St.  John,  but  very 
similar ;  of  North  Carolina  origin ;  promises  well,  and 
should  be  fully  tested.  It  may  turn  out  to  be  identica1 
with  the  St.  John.  It  is  a  yellow  peach. 

MOUNTAIN  ROSE. 

Has  done  exceedingly  well  on  the  Peninsula.  I  have 
not  yet  seen  anything  equal  to  it  in  its  season.  It  is 
large  and  beautiful,  and  will  attract  attention  wherever 
8t*en.  The  flesh  is  white,  sparkling  and  rich.  It  is 
nearly  covered  with  bright  red;  ripens  about  August 
10th.  I  know  no  more  popular  or  better  peach. 

AMELIA. 

Another  very  fine  early  white  peach,  ripening  nearly 
with  the  Mountain  Rose,  and  of  nearly  the  same  size. 
In  color  it  is  not  so  bright,  and  the  flesh  is  a  little  drier. 

ELBEETA. 

A  yellow  peach  from  Georgia,  not  yet  sufficiently 
tested  in  our  climate  to  speak  of  its  merits  with  confi- 
dence. Is  highly  commended  by  some.  Ripens  with 
Crawford's  Early. 

FOSTER. 

A  yellow  peach  very  much  like  Early  Crawford,  but 
claimed  to  be  superior  by  some,  and  by  others  to  V 
identical. 

HARRIS'  EARLY. 

A  large-sized,  white-fleshed  freestone ;  skin  deeply 
colored  with  red.  Rather  a  shy  bearer. 

HONEY. 

Skin  red  ;  flesh  wnite  ;  freestone.  Size  small.  When 
fully  ripe,  delicious.  Not  likely  to  be  profitable  on  ac- 


VARIETIES.  175 

count  of  its  size,  but  no  lover  of  a  really  excellent  peach 
should  fail  to  plant  a  few  trees  at  least. 

WHEATLAND. 

Large,  yellow  freestone  peach ;  said  to  be  better  than 
Crawford's  Late,  and  a  few  day  earlier.  Should  be  fairly 
tested. 

WAGER. 

Yellow  freestone,  medium  size.  Tree  a  good  grower, 
and  comes  in  soon  after  Crawford's  Early.  Flavor  rich 
and  juicy. 

CORA  WRIGHT. 

This  peach  originated  in  Caroline  county,  Maryland. 
It  is  a  large  yellow  peach,  fairly  productive,  and  the 
tree  a  vigorous  grower. 

SOUTHWICK. 

A  white  peach  of  good  size,  and  of  excellent  shipping 
quality.  It  is  rather  dry,  and  for  this  reason  is  very  fine 
for  evaporating.  The  skin  is  marbled  with  red,  and  this 
gives  it  a  handsome  appearance. 

BRANDYWINE. 

Also  sometimes  called  The  Prize,  a  very  large  yellow 
peach,  much  resembling  the  Crawford's  Late,  and  ripen- 
ing nearly  with  it.  If  distinct  from  the  Crawford  it  is 
probably  a  seedling  of  that  variety.  Careful  observa- 
tion may  yet  discover  decided  variations. 

LORD  PALMERSTON". 

Not  yet  much  known.     Described  as  a  very  large,  late 
white  freestone  peach,  with  a  white  skin  and  red  blush. 
SILVER  MEDAL. 

The  tree  is  a  vigorous  grower,  quickly  responds  to 
good  culture.  It  is  a  white  peach,  and  the  flesb  is  wbite 
even  to  the  seed.  It  is  my  production.  It  ripens  be- 


176  PEACH  CULTURE. 

tween  Crawford's  Late  and  Beer's  Smock  ;  and,  for  that 
reason,  is  very  desirable  as  a  market  variety. 

EXCELSIOR. 

Quality  excellent,  of  bright  golden  color  when  fully 
ripe;  size  medium  to  large.  A  desirable  and  valuable 
variety. 

STEADLEY. 

A  vigorous  tree  and  good  bearer.  It  is  a  white  fleshed 
peach,  very  much  like  the  Stump.  Fruit  large,  round, 
and  of  good  flavor.  October. 

SHIPLEY'S  LATE  KED. 

A  very  fine  late  white  peach,  of  large  size  and  good 
flavor.  Kipens  a  few  day's  before  Beer's  Smock.  A 
good  bearer  and  very  desirable. 

WASHINGTON. 

A  good  sized  yellow  peach.  The  blossoms  are  large, 
which  is  a  novel  characteristic  with  yellow  varieties.  It 
is  of  excellent  quality,  but  not  very  prolific.  Comes  in 
with  the  Smock. 

HOLD-ON. 

A  fine  large  yellow  peach,  ripens  with  or  a  little  later 
than  the  Smock,  and  is  probably  a  seedling  from  that 
variety. 

BONANZA. 

A  very  large  white  freestone  from  Texas.  It  is  very 
late.  The  flesh  is  white,  with  a  red  cheek.  A  very 
showy  peach,  and  if  it  does  not  deteriorate  by  being 
transplanted  to  our  soil,  it  would  prove  a  valuable 
acquisition. 

HENRIETTA. 

A  late  yellow  cling  of  large  size,  fine  appearance,  and 
productive.  Kipens  very  late. 


VARIETIES.  "  177 

WALKER'S  VARIEGATED  FREE. 

A  white  peach  of  the  very  best  sort.  Large  as  Craw- 
ford's Late,  and  ripens  with  it — at  a  time  when  white 
peaches  are  scarce.  The  fruit  is  beautiful  and  of  excel- 
lent flavor.  A  fair  bearer.  No  one  should  fail  to  plant  it, 

PICQUET'S  LATE. 

A  fine  large  yellow  freestone  peach ;  a  good  bearer, 
and  a  good  market  variety.  It  ripens  a  few  days  before 
the  Smock. 

PULLEN, 

A  beautiful  yellow  peach  of  the  very  largest  size,  and 
of  excellent  quality,  but  a  shy  bearer.  A  few  trees  should 
be  planted  to  preserve  such  a  fine  specimen.  . 

CHRISTIAN. 

A  large  yellow  freestone  peach,  highly  prized  by  some 
and  extensively  planted.  Kipens  just  after  Crawford's 
Late. 

BILYEU'S  OCTOBER. 

A  very  late  white  peach  with  a  pale  blush  in  the  sun. 
In  size  it  is  about  like  the  Fox  Seedling.  The  flavor  is 
good  when  fully  ripe.  It  keeps  a  long  time  after  being 
pulled  when  ripe — a  full  week  and  even  longer.  I  have 
gathered  peaches  of  this  variety  October  14th,  and  used 
them  daily  till  the  21st ;  and  for  evaporating  I  know  of 
none  more  profitable.  I  regard  it  as  very  valuable. 

YELLOW  COBBLER. 

This  is  a  Texas  variety,  and  is  said  to  be  even  later 
than  the  Bilyeu,  but  I  have  never  fruited  or  seen  it. 

BROWN'S  BEST. 

Is  supposed  to  be  a  seedling  of  the  Moore's  Favorite, 
but  its  origin  is  uncertain.  Mr.  Brown  of  Kising  Sun, 


178  PEACH  CULTURE. 

who  grows  it,  esteems  it  highly,  both  for  quality  and 
profit.  It  is  a  large  white  peach,  partly  red  at  the  stem, 
and  ripens  with  Crawford's  Late.  Has  more  color  than 
Moore's  Favorite. 

QUEEN  OF  DELAWARE. 

One  of  the  largest  and  best  white  peaches  known.  Ir. 
size  it  ranks  with  Moore's  Favorite,  but  is  more  globular 
in  form,  and  rather  higher  colored.  The  tree  is  an  erect, 
vigorous  grower,  and  one  of  the  handsomest  we  have. 
The  flavor  is  excellent ;  none  better.  It  originated  on 
the  Peninsula ;  and  the  only  place  I  ever  saw  it  in  full 
bearing  was  in  Dr.  Henry  Kidgely's  orchard  at  Dover. 

THE  GLOBE. 

This  is  a  fine,  new  yellow  peach,  grown  by  Messrs.  0. 
B.  Shearer  &  Co.,  of  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania ;  and 
without  doubt  is  the  handsomest  peach  of  its  season  so 
far  placed  on  exhibition.  Its  flavor  is  also  very  fine.  It 
is  a  freestone,  of  rich  golden  color,  shaded  on  the  sunny- 
side  with  red.  It  is  almost  a  perfect  globe.  It  is  said 
to  have  produced  specimens  nearly  fifteen  inches  in  cir- 
cumference. It  ripens  with  Crawford's  Late.  Where  it 
originated  it  is  a  superb  peach  in  every  respect ;  whether 
it  will  do  as  well  elsewhere  remains  to  be  seen. 

Many  other  varieties  might  be  named,  but  the  above,  it 
is  believed,  embraces  all  that  are  really  worth  cultivating. 

An  experience  of  many  years  has  satisfied  most  growers 
on  the  Peninsula  that  the  very  early  peaches  are  a  failure 
so  far  as  profit  is  concerned.  In  a  very  few  instances, 
and  under  peculiar  conditions,  they  have  paid  £he  planter 
for  the  care  and  culture  bestowed  ;  but  these  have  been 
so  rare  as  to  establish  the  rule  rather  than  weaken  it. 

The  want  of  success  may  be  attributed  to  the  following 
causes.  The  trees  themselves  are  seldom  robust  and 
vigorous ;  the  fruit  is  small,  does  not  ripen  well,  is  not 
hardy,  and  often  rots  befor^  ripening;  Besides  better 


DESCEIPTIVE  CATALOGUE.  179 

fruit,  of  the  earlier  varieties,  can  be  raised  farther  South, 
and  placed  earlier  on  the  market  before  that  raised  on 
the  Peninsula,  and  in  competition  with  it.  Consequently 
very  few  planters  now  aspire  to  very  early  fruit.  In  the 
old  and  best  varieties,  they  stand  without  a  rival. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 
DESCRIPTIVE  CATALOGUE. 

WE  have  already  cautioned  the  young  planter  against 
the  common  error  of  planting  too  many  varieties.  We 
now  propose  to  advise  him  in  regard  to  those  he  should 
plant.  Having  given  due  weight  to  what  we  have  said 
on  soil,  climate,  and  location,  he  will  still  further  have 
regard  to  the  markets,  time  of  ripening,  and  number  of 
trees  he  is  to  plant. 

If  he  is  near  a  great  city,  it  will  generally  be  for  his  in- 
terest to  get  into  market  as  early  as  practicable,  and,  there- 
fore, the  early  sorts  will  suit  him  best.  But  this  may  not 
always  hold  good  ;  for  the  same  motive  that  influences 
him  will  likely  impel  many  others,  and  thus  the  compe- 
tition may  be  so  great  as  to  reduce  the  price  below  profit. 
When  there  is  danger  of  this,  a  later  variety  may  be 
preferable.  These  remarks  apply  with  equal  force  to  all 
late  kinds,  and  for  the  same  reason.  If  the  grower  has 
to  send  to  a  distant  market,  he  should  have  some  regard 
to  that,  and  select  the  kinds  that  will  bear  carriage. 

If  he  is  going  to  raise  fruit  for  canning,  then  the  sea- 
son is  not  so  much  an  object  as  the  quality  of  the  fruit, 
and  its  special  adaptation  to  this  purpose,  and  this  will 
influence  his  selection. 

Again,  the  planter  should  consider  whether  he  will 
for  a  supply  during  the  entire  season,  or  only  a  part 


180  PEACH  CULTURE. 

of  it.  The  peach  season  proper,  on  the  Delaware  Penin- 
sula, continues  two  months  from  the  first  of  August.  To 
supply  this,  it  requires  eight  or  ten  varieties,  at  least, 
ripening  consecutively ;  and  they  must  be  carefully 
selected  with  this  view,  for  if  they  overlap  or  run  into 
each  other  that  number  will  not  be  sufficient.  But  if 
there  is  a  full  crop,  when  all  varieties  are  fruitful,  the  sea- 
son often  commences  earlier,  and. runs  clear  through  Sep- 
tember, adding  five  or  six  weeks  to  its  duration.  Now 
if  the  planter  wishes  to  avail  himself  of  this  entire  pe- 
riod, he  will  have  to  plant  accordingly,  commencing  with 
the  very  earliest,  and  closing  with  the  very  latest.  And 
again,  he  may  be  afraid  to  rely  on  a  single  variety  in  each 
progressive  step  of  the  course  ;  and,  if  so,  he  will  plant 
double — that  is,  he  will  plant  two  varieties,  ripening  as 
nearly  together  as  practicable,  and  thus  guard  against  the 
failure  of  either  to  produce  a  crop,  or  to  command  an  ade- 
quate price.  This,  of  course,  will  largely  increase  his  list. 
But  the  reflective  planter  may  think  that  a  few  well 
chosen  sorts  will  pay  him  better  than  many — some  of 
which  are  not  first-rate — and  confine  his  selection  to  these. 
This  will  do  very  well  if  nobody  leads  or  follows  him. 
But  suppose  all  come  to  the  same  conclusion,  and  act  ac- 
cordingly ?  It  is  easily  seen  the  peach  season  would  soon 
be  reduced  to  a  few  days  only,  and  then  there  would  be 
such  a  glut  that  transportation  could  not  be  found,  even 
if  pickers  and  buyers  could.  The  folly  of  running  away 
after  a  few  special  favorites  has  been  seen  in  several  in- 
stances. A  few  years  ago,  the  rage  was  for  very  early 
fruit,  because  very  early  fruit  had  sold  exceedingly  high. 
Nurserymen  were  beset  by  anxious  enquiries  after  early 
trees.  The  old,  favorite  kinds,  they  could  only  sell  in 
small  quantities,  if  at  all,  and  at  reduced  prices.  To  meet 
this  urgent  demand,  they  sought  out  and  propagated  the 
earliest  varieties  almost  exclusively.  The  market  was 
soon  supplied  with  trees ;  they  were  planted  by  hundreds 


DESCBIPTIVE  CATALOGUE.  181 

of  thousands,  and  the  anxious  planters  could  hardly  wait 
their  coming-in,  so  eager  were  they  to  realize  the  large 
fortunes  their  fancies  had  promised  them.  The  time  soon 
flew  by.  The  trees,  whose  growth  had  been  watched 
with  almost  maternal  care,  bore,  and  abundantly,  large 
crops  of  beautiful  and  delicious  fruit.  Now  their  golden 
dreams  of  great  and  sudden  fortune  were  to  be  realized. 
But,  alas, 

"  Disappointment  lurks  in  many  a  prize, 
As  bees  in  flowers,  and  stings  us  with  success." 

It  was  soon  found  there  was  "  too  much  of  a  good 
thing."  The  market  was  fully  supplied,  or  overstocked 
with  early  peaches,  and  the  inexorable  laws  of  trade  soon 
reduced  the  price  to  mere  remuneration,  or,  at  best,  to  a 
small  profit.  The  consequence  was,  that  early  peaches 
were  pronounced  a  cheat  by  many  who  had  been  most 
enthusiastic  in  their  favor.  Again,  it  was  found  that  very 
^ate  peaches  brought  high  prices  one  or  two  seasons,  and 
immediately  a  rush  was  made  on  them,  but  not  so  general 
or  so  intense  as  the  former.  Some  had  been  enlightened, 
and  learned  to  be  prudent.  Still  later,  during  the  season 
of  1869,  it  was  discovered  that  some  varieties,  ripening 
just  in  the  midst  of  it,  brought  the  best  prices,  and  forth- 
with the  young  trees  of  these  varieties  soon  disappear, 
and  the  perplexed  nurseryman  stands  aghast  to  see  his 
large  stock,  both  of  early  and  late,  on  his  hands. 

All  this  proves  that  the  planter  should  be  cautious  and 
prudent  in  his  selections,  and  observant  of  the  laws  of 
trade,  especially  so  far  as  supply  and  demand  usually  af, 
feet  prices. 

One  thing,  however,  he  should  not  do.  No  hope  of 
temporary  profit  should  ever  tempt  him  to  plant  an  in- 
ferior sort  if  a  really  more  valuable  one  can  be  substituted. 

Were  we  going  to  plant  an  orchard,  and  restricted  to 
six  varieties,  we  would  select  three  white  and  three  yellow 
sorts,  and  these  should  form  our  list : 


182  PEACH  CULTURE. 

WHITE.  YELLOW. 

Mountain  Rose,  Crawford's  Early, 

Moore's  Favorite,  Reeve's  Favorite, 

Stump  the  World,  Crawford's  Late. 

And  if  we  enlarge  it  to  twelve,  they  should  be  these : 

WHITE.  YELLOW. 

Mountain  Rose,  Crawford's  Early, 

Early  York,  Yellow  Rareripe, 

Moore's  Favorite,  Reeve's  Favorite, 

Old  Mixon  Free,  Crawford's  Late. 

Red  Rareripe,  Smock. 
Stump  the  World, 
Ward's  Late. 

Beyond  this  we  should  not  seek  to  go ;  but  if  com- 
pelled to  increase  our  list  to  twenty  varieties,  they  would 
run  thus : 

WHITE.  YELLOW. 

Mountain  Rose,  Crawford's  Early, 

Troth's  Early,  Reeve's  Favorite, 

Early  Hork,  Yellow  Rareripe, 

Grosse  Mignonne,  Crawford's  Late, 

Large  Early  York,  Susquehanna, 

Moore's  Favorite,  Red  Cheek, 

Old  Mixon,  fialway. 

Red  Rareripe, 

Noblesse, 

Stump  the  World, 

Morris'  White, 

Druid  Hill, 

Ward's  Late. 

Some  of  these  we  can  recommend  from  observation  and 
experience,  as  well  as  from  the  almost  universal  testimony 
of  planters  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  So  far  as  our  per- 
sonal knowledge  goes,  it  must  be  remembered  that  it  is 
confined  principally  to  the  Peninsula,  where  the  peach 
reaches  its  highest  perfection,  both  in  size  and  flavor ;  and 
some  of  those  that  do  well  here  may  not  do  so  well  else- 
where, and  vice  versa.  We  would  further  remark,  in 
passing,  that  in  the  varieties  we  have  named  there  is  the 


DESCRIPTIVE  CATALOGUE.  183 

greatest  difference  in  merit.  The  order  in  which  they 
are  named  does  not  indicate,  in  any  degree,  our  opinion 
of  their  relative  worth,  but  rather  the  order  of  their 
coming  in. 

We  give  a  more  or  less  brief  description  of  the  vari- 
eties named,  adding  a  few  others. 


WHITE    PEACHES. 


TROTH'S  EARLY. 

We  have  placed  this  variety  in  our  largest  planting 
list,  but  we  cannot  really  recommend  it  at  all  in  respect 
of  its  quality,  for  this  we  consider  very  inferior.  It  is 
neither  rich  nor  palatable ;  neither  is  its  size  such  as  to 
make  it  showy  and  attractive.  But  it  has  several  good 
traits,  in  a  marketable  point  of  view,  which  have  enabled 
it,  for  many  years,  to  maintain  itself  as  a  leading  variety. 
The  most  prominent  of  these  was  its  early  maturity. 
Before  the  introduction  of  Holds  Early ^  it  was  the  first 
in  market.  This  alone  was  sufficient  to  commend  it  to 
planters,  for  some  people  will  buy  the  first  fruit  that 
makes  its  appearance,  of  whatever  quality,  and  at  what- 
ever price.  Besides  being  early,  it  has  a  handsome  bright 
red  cheek,  and  this  was  greatly  in  its  favor.  Add  to  these, 
wonderful  productiveness  and  good  carrying  qualities, 
and  it  is  not  strange  that  it  held  its  place  so  long.  But 
it  lacked  two  essential  merits — size  and  flavor — and  as 


184  PEACH  CULTURE. 

soon  as  an  earlier  one  was  discovered,  it  was  vanquished, 
and  almost  driven  from  the  field.  In  1869,  it  scarcely 
paid  the  expenses  of  picking  and  shipping,  and  now  may 
be  regarded  as  abandoned  on  the  Peninsula.  Where 
an  earlier  variety  does  not  succeed,  it  may  be  planted  mod- 
erately, in  order  to  supply  an  early  market,  provided,  al- 
ways, that  there  is  no  other  of  better  quality,  and  equally 
early,  within  reach. 

Tree  a  moderate  grower,  with  firm,  compact  wood,  and  a 
fan-shaped  head;  branches  numerous,  and  rather  slender; 
very  productive.  Flowers  small.  Leaves  glandular.  Fruit 
small  round,  or  nearly  so,  red ;  flesh  white,  slightly  red 
at  the  stone ;  quality  poor.  Season,  1st  of  August.  F. 

EARLY  YORK. 

Early  Purple,  Serrate  Early  York. 

Pourpree  Hative, 

An  old  and  well-known  variety.  Size  medium ;  form 
roundish  oval ;  suture  slight.  Skin  thin  ;  color  pale  or 
white  in  the  shade,  but  richly  mantled  with  red  in  the 
sun.  Flesh  white,  with  reddish  tinge  at  the  stone,  rich, 
juicy,  melting,  vinous,  and  sprightly  excellent ;  ripens 
about  the  10th  of  August.  Tree  a  moderate  grower,  but 
of  firm,  close-grained  wood  ;  round  head  ;  very  little  sub- 
ject to  disease.  Flowers  large.  Leaves  serrate,  without 
glands.  A  justly  popular  variety.  F. 

GROSSE  MIGNONNE. 

Royal  Kensington,  Vinense  de  Fromentin, 

Griuiwood's  Royal  George,  Mignonne, 

New  Royal  George,  Veloutee  de  Merlet, 

Large  French  Mignonne,  Vineuse, 

French  Mignonne,  Pourpree  de  Normandie, 

Swiss  Mignoune,  Belle  Beaute, 

Purple   Avant,  Belle  Bansse, 

Early  Purple  Avant,  La  Royal, 

Early  May,  Pourpree  Hative, 

Early  Vineyard,  Ronald'^  Seedling  Galande, 

Neil's  Early  Purple,  Royal  Sovereign, 

Johnson's  Early  Purple,  Superb  Royal. 

8 


DESCRIPTIVE   CATALOGUE.  185 

This  has  been  a  favorite  variety  in  both  France  and 
England  for  more  than  a  century,  and  has  elicited  the 
highest  praise  from  these  quarters.  It  has  also  been  very 
popular  in  some  parts  of  our  own  country,  but  is  not  now 
extensively  cultivated  on  the  Peninsula ;  but  whether  this 
is  owing  to  a  want  of  adaptation  to  our  soil  or  climate,  to 
the  superiority  of  other  sorts  of  its  season,  or  to  the  lack 
of  friends  to  disseminate  it,  we  will  not  say.  Its  undoubt- 
ed popularity  in  some  localities,  and  for  a  long  time,  is 
fully  attested,  not  only  by  the  cumulative  testimony  of 
many  witnesses,  but  by  an  unusually  long  list  of  syno- 
nyms. Of  these  there  are  more  than  twenty. 

In  New  England,  it  is  a  favorite  for  cultivation  under 
glass,  and  in  Georgia,  in  the  orchard. 

Tree  medium,  or  large,  hardy,  and  a  regular  bearer. 
Fruit  large,  roundish,  somewhat  depressed,  with  hollow 
at  the  top ;  skin,  pale,  greenish-yellow,  mottled  with  red, 
with  a  red  cheek,  sometimes  taking  a  purple  tinge.  Flesh 
yellowish-white,  red  at  the  stone,  melting,  juicy,  rich,  and 
vinous.  Stone  small  and  rough.  Flowers  large.  Season^ 
August  10th  to  15th. 

LARGE  EARLY  YORK. 

Early  Rareripe,  Livingston's  Rareripe, 

Haines'  Early  Red,  New  York  Rareripe, 

Honest  John,  Walter's  Early. 

This  is  a  very  popular  peach  wherever  known,  and  its 
popularity  is  well  deserved.  It  comes  in  immediately 
after  the  Troth,  and  by  many  is  regarded  as  the  very  best 
of  its  season. 

Tree  large,  vigorous,  and  healthy.  Leaves  large,  with 
globose  glands,  sometimes  obscure.  Flowers  small. 
Fruit  above  medium,  round,  divided  into  unequal  halves 
by  a  well  defined  suture  ;  skin  pale,  yellowish-white,  deli- 
cately dotted  with  bright  red,  deepening  and  thickening 
into  a  fine  blush  on  the  side  next  the  sun.  Flesh  pale 


186  PEACH  CULTURE. 

white,  reddening  towards  the  stone,  melting,  juicy,  rich, 
luscious.     Season,  middle  of  August. 

MOORE'S  FAVORITE. 

This  is,  in  all  respects,  one  of  the  very  best  peaches  in 
the  whole  catalogue  ;  and  for  the  health,  vigor,  hardiness, 
and  productiveness  of  the  tree,  as  well  as  for  the  size, 
beauty,  and  richness  of  the  fruit,  we  know  none  that  ex- 
cels it.  It  is,  by  many,  supposed  to  be  identical  with  the 
Old  Mixon  Free ;  and  indeed,  it  differs  very  little  from 
that  old,  superb,  and  far-famed  peach;  and  the  differences 
are  so  slight  as  only  to  be  detected  by  a  connoisseur,  and 
not  certainly  in  any  case  except  by  comparison  of  the 
fruit.  The  trees,  in  their  growth,  appearance,  and  habit, 
are  much  alike,  and  the  fruit,  in  size  and  quality,  also. 
The  only  distinctive  features  that  the  planters  most  fa- 
miliar with  both  varieties  have  been  able  to  detect  are 
two.  Moore's  Favorite,  on  the  same  soil,  in  the  same 
orchard,  ripens  two  or  three  days  before  Old  Mixon,  and 
the  fruit  is  larger  and  finer,  and  has  a  more  delicate, 
transparent,  and  wax-like  skin,  heightening  its  beauty, 
and  increasing  its  attractions.  Its  striking  resemblance 
to  the  Old  Mixon  leads  us  to  believe  that  it  may  be  a 
seedling  of  that  excellent  peach,  or  an  accidental  variation 
in  its  propagation. 

It  is  a  native  of  Delaware,  and  originated  with  Mr.  J. 
V.  Moore,  of  Odessa,  whose  name  it  bears. 

Tree  hardy,  vigorous,  fruitful,  and  a  strong  grower ; 
wood  close-grained,  and  elastic.  Leaves  globose-glandu- 
lar. Flowers  small.  Fruit  large,  roundish,  slightly  oval; 
suture  obscure,  except  at  the  apex ;  color  white,  mingled 
with  pale  green,  changing  into  a  beautiful  clear  red  as  it 
becomes  fully  exposed  to  the  sun  ;  skin  waxy,  and  almost 
transparent.  Flesh  white,  red  at  the  stone,  rich,  excel- 
lent. Season,  August  13th  to  16th.  F. 


DESCRIPTIVE  CATALOGUE.  187 

OLD  MIXON  FREE. 

Old  Mixon  Freestone,  Old  Mixon  Clearstone. 

This  superb  old  peach  is  the  delight  of  all  planters 
worthy  of  the  name.  It  is  without  fault,  and  blameless. 
Not  to  admire  it  when  gracefully  supporting  its  enormous 
burden  of  large,  choice,  rich,  beautiful,  melting  and  lus- 
cious fruit  in  a  bright,  hot  day  in  August,  would  be  to 
acknowledge  one's  self  insensible  to  the  charms  of  nature 
and  of  grace.  No  Christian  could  be  so  callous. 

The  tree  is  much  inclined  to  spread  into  numerous  long, 
slender,  tough,  graceful  branches,  thus  giving  it  a  some- 
what elm-shape  ;  and  these  branches  hardly  ever  break,  it 
matters  not  what  weight  they  bear.  They  are  so  tough, 
so  slender,  and  so  well  proportioned,  that  they  will  bend 
like  a  bow  under  their  rich  load  of  precious  fruit,  until 
the  lower  ones  rest  upon  the  ground,  and  thus  form  sup- 
porting columns  for  those  above  them,  when  they  present 
a  most  charming  sight — a  spectacle  worthy  the  admiration 
of  a  prince.  We  never  get  tired  looking  at  one  of  these 
noble  old  trees  when  thus  clothed  in  its  native  grace  and 
dignity ;  it  supports  the  weight  of  many  hundred  fine, 
ripe,  red-cheeked  peaches,  which  seem  to  hide  their  beau- 
tiful blushes  in  a  sheen  of  waving  green.  And  in  driving 
through  the  orchard,  day  after  day  have  we  stopped  in 
the  same  spot  to  view  and  admire  this  beautiful  and  grate- 
ful sight.  There  it  stood,  a  single  column,  erect  and  firm, 
supporting  its  hundred  graceful  arches,  decked  with  rich- 
est fruits,  in  bright  and  beautiful  colors,  shaded  and  soft- 
ened by  the  green  foliage,  forming  a  hemisphere  in  out- 
line, with  base  resting  on  the  earth,  and  apex  pointing  to 
the  sky.  So  perfect  was  the  picture,  that  we  never  could 
bring  ourselves  to  pluck  a  single  peach !  No,  indeed ; 
that  would  have  been  profanation.  It  would  have  spoiled 
the  symmetry  of  the  whole  ;  and  we  would  as  lief  have 
soiled  a  portrait,  or  marred  a  statue.  Had  we  had  the 


188  PEACH  CULTURE. 

power,  we  would  have  bidden  it  be  perennial !  In  choo*« 
ing  our  trees  "for  family  use,"  Old  Mixon  is  always 
named  first.  In  that,  there  is  no  discussion  of  merits,  no 
diversity  of  opinion  ;  it  has  the  unanimous  vote  of  the 
household,  and  that  vote  is  never  reconsidered.  Other 
sorts  may  take  their  chances,  and  stand  their  trials,  but 
Old  Mixon's  position  is  secure,  and  beyond  competition. 

It  is  supposed  to  be  a  seedling  from  the  Old  Mixon 
Cling,  which  was  brought  to  this  country  from  England 
by  Sir  John  Oldmixon,  whose  name  it  bears.  It  is  a  very 
hardy,  thrifty,  long-lived,  and  productive  tree.  It  does 
well  wherever  the  peach  will  flourish.  Taking  into  view 
the  hardiness,  freedom  from  disease,  and  productiveness 
of  the  tree,  and  the  size,  beauty,  and  richness  of  the  fruit, 
it  has  no  superior. 

Leaves  with  globose  glands.  Flowers  small.  Fruit 
large,  roundish,  sometimes  slightly  swollen  on  one  side ; 
skin  white,  with  a  beautiful  deep  blush  when  fully  ex- 
posed to  the  sun.  Flesh  white,  but  red  at  the  stone,  ten- 
der, rich,  sugary  and  vinous ;  excellent.  Season,  August 
15th.  F. 

RED   RARERIPE. 

Large  Red  Rareripe,  Early  Rareripe. 

This  is  a  very  handsome  and  excellent  peach,  and  highly 
popular  wherever  cultivated.  It  is  supposed  to  be  a  seed- 
ling from  the  Royal  George,  but  this  arises  only  from  its 
strong  resemblance  to  that  variety.  The  fruit  is  larger 
and  broader  than  the  Early  York,  and  this  seems  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  that  variety.  It  is  also  ten  days  later. 
It  sometimes  mildews  in  uncongenial  soil.  The  leaves  are 
without  glands. 

Fruit  large,  globular,  broader  at  the  base  than  top, 
somewhat  depressed ;  suture  broad,  and  extending  to 
both  sides ;  skin  white,  mottled  with  red  dots,  with  a 
rich,  red  cheek.  Flesh  white,  reddening  towards  the 


DESCRIPTIVE   CATALOGUE.  189 

stone,  juicy,  rich,  melting  and  high  flavored.     Season, 
August  25th. 

NOBLESSE. 

Vanguard,  Mellish,  Lord  Montague. 

In  England,  this  peach  has  obtained  and  retained  an 
excellent  reputation,  and  this  after  long  years  of  extensive 
cultivation  and  trial.  In  this  country,  it  is  scarcely  less 
valued,  although  its  cultivation  has  not  been  general.  As 
a  variety  suitable  for  forcing,  it  stands  very  high,  and 
many  trellises  and  walls  are  adorned  with  it. 

Tree  hardy  and  productive.  Leaves  without  glands. 
Fruit  large,  globose-oblong,  slightly  pyramidal,  termina- 
ting in  an  acute  point ;  skin  pale  green,  slightly  downy, 
with  delicate  red  cheek.  Flesh  pale  green,  or  milk-white 
to  the  stone,  juicy,  melting,  luscious,  spicy.  Season,  last 
of  August. 

STUMP  THE  WORLD. 

We  regard  this  as  one  of  the  very  best  peaches  we 
have ;  and,  excepting  in  color,  little,  if  any,  inferior  to 
Moore's  Favorite  and  Old  Mixon,  to  which  it  bears  a 
strong  family  likeness.  It  is  fully  two  weeks  later  than 
these  favorite  sorts,  which  gives  additional  value  as  a 
market  peach.  With  us,  on  the  Peninsula,  it  has  not 
been  as  extensively  introduced  and  cultivated  as  its  merits 
deserve ;  but,  wherever  it  has  been  tried,  it  has  given  the 
liveliest  satisfaction.  Its  paleness  prevents  it  from  arrest- 
ing the  attention  of  those  who  are  carried  away  by 
bright,  gay  colors,  and  thereby  slight  modest  virtue,  in 
their  eager  search  for  dash  and  show.  But  when  its  real 
worth  shall  bo  better  known,  it  will  certainly  be  highly 
appreciated  by  all  lovers  of  good  fruit,  and  should  become 
one  of  our  most  valuable  market  varieties. 

Tree  thrifty,  vigorous,  hardy  and  productive,  but  not  an 
enormous  bearer,  leaves  with  globose  glands, 


190  PEACH  CULTUKE. 

small.  Fruit  large,  oval ;  suture  shallow ;  skin  white, 
slight  blush  in  the  sun.  Flesh  white,  juicy,  rich,  sparkling, 
high  flavored,  excellent.  Season,  last  of  August.  F. 

MORRIS'  WHITE. 

Morris'  White  Rareripe,  White  Melocoton, 

White  Rareripe,  Cole's  White  Mftlocoton, 

Luscious  White  Rareripe,  Freestone  Heath. 

Lady  Ann  Steward,  Morris'  White  Freestone, 

We  wish  to  premise  here,  that  the  Morris*  White  be- 
longs to  a  class  of  peaches  entirely  distinct  from  all  those 
we  have  already  described.  They  are  called,  in  general 
terms,  white  peaches,  but  this  distinctive  character  is  only 
relatively  so,  and  does  not  extend  throughout ;  and  the 
reader  will  have  observed  that,  in  all  our  descriptions  of 
the  fruit,  we  attribute  to  it  some  degree  of  redness  at  the 
stone.  Now,  the  Morris'  White  belongs  to  a  class  entirely 
different  in  this  respect.  The  flesh  of  this  class  lacks  this 
interior  red  tinge,  and  is  a  pure  white  throughout,  and 
thus  draws  a  line  of  distinction  as  broad,  as  deep,  and  as 
well  defined  as  that  which  separates  the  white  and  yellow 
fleshed.  In  some  respects,  more  so ;  for  the  white  peaches 
have  white  skins,  are  never  red  cheeked,  and  seldom  ever 
mottled  ;  while  the  deep  red  blush  is  alike  common  to  white 
and  yellow  fleshed  peaches.  Other  distinctive  peculiarities 
might  be  mentioned.  White  are  more  subject  to  crack 
than  either  of  the  other  classes.  They  ripen  more  together, 
nearly  all  coming  in  at  one  time.  They  never  attain  the 
size  of  either  of  the  others,  and  they  are  drier,  and  less 
subject  to  rot. 

Hence,  Freestone  Peaches  are  properly  subdivided  into 
Red,  White,  and  Yellow,  according  to  the  color  of  the 
flesh. 

The  Morris''  White  is  a  native,  and  very  popular.  For 
many  years  it  has  stood  at  the  head  of  white  peaches, 
and  it  has,  to-day,  no  admitte^  superior,  although  one  or 


DESCKIPTIVE  CATALOGUE.  191 

two  others  of  its  class  exceed  it  in  size.  The  tree  is  gen- 
erally vigorous  and  healthy,  but  not  in  all  soils.  It  seems 
to  thrive  best  in  light,  sandy  loams,  and  is  admirably 
adapted  to  the  Peninsula.  The  leaves  have  reniform 
glands.  Flowers  small.  The  fruit  is  medium,  oval ; 
suture  shallow;  skin  slightly  downy,  greenish- white  at 
first,  but  the  green  disappears  in  a  creamy  white  when  the 
fruit  matures,  sometimes  taking  a  slight  purple  tinge  when 
fully  exposed  to  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun,  and  often 
specked  with  small  light  brown  dots.  Flesh  firm,  melt- 
ing, sweet,  rich  and  white  to  the  stone.  Season^  15th  of 
September.  F. 

DKUID  HILL. 

This  is  a  late  peach,  highly  commended.  The  tree  is 
said  to  be  very  vigorous,  thrifty,  and  productive,  with 
stout  branches,  and  large  leaves.  It  was  brought  into 
notice  by  Lloyd  N".  Rogers,  Esquire,  of  Druid  Hill,  near 
Baltimore,  whence  it  has  its  name.  Leaves  with  globose 
glands.  Flowers  small.  Fruit  large,  globular ;  stem 
cavity,  narrow ;  suture  slight ;  skin  pale  greenish-white, 
clouded  with  red  on  sunny  side.  Flesh  greenish-white, 
but  becoming  purple  towards  the  stone ;  very  juicy,  and 
melting,  with  an  exceedingly  rich  vinous  flavor ;  stone 
long,  and  somewhat  compressed,  with  numerous  furrows. 
Season,  September  20th. 

WARD'S  LATE. 

This  is  a  highly  valuable  variety.  Its  quality  is  very 
good,  while  its  season,  last  of  September,  is  much  in  its 
favor  for  market.  Still,  it  has  not  been  very  extensively 
cultivated  in  the  great  peach-growing  district  of  the  Pen- 
insula— perhaps  because  it  has  had  no  special  friend  to 
introduce  and  disseminate  it. 


192  PEACH   CULTUKE. 

Tree  vigorous,  and  productive.  Leaves  globose-glandu, 
lar.  Flowers  small.  Fruit  rather  large,  roundish,  inclin- 
ing to  oval ;  skin  white,  with  a  beautiful  crimson  cheek. 
Flesh  white,  tinged  with  red  at  the  stone,  rich,  juicy, 
melting  and  high  flavored.  Season,  last  of  September. 

The  foregoing  thirteen  varieties  embrace  our  list  of 
Red  and  White  peaches,  in  the  order  of  their  season,  and 
not  of  their  merit.  They  are. all  good  ;  but  were  we  pre- 
paring a  catalogue  according  to  quality,  we  should  ar- 
range them  somewhat  differently. 

We  shall  now  proceed  with  our  list  of  Yellow  varieties 
in  the  same  order. 

CRAWFORD'S  EARLY. 

Crawford's  Early  Melocoton,  Early  Crawford. 

This  is  justly  one  of  the  most  popular  and  highly  es- 
teemed of  all  our  yellow  peaches,  and  this  in  no  particular 
locality,  but  everywhere,  as  far  as  it  is  known.  It  seems 
equally  well  suited  to  both  northern  and  southern  climes, 
and  will  thrive  in  any  soil  where  peaches  can  be  success- 
fully grown.  As  a  market  peach,  it  can  hardly  be  ex- 
celled. Its  beautiful  bright  red  color,  and  large  size,  never 
fail  to  sell  it  at  satisfactory  prices,  and  many  a  planter,  at 
the  close  of  the  season,  when  balancing  accounts,  has  con- 
gratulated himself  on  the  large  number  of  baskets  of  this 
variety  he  had  sent  to  market,  or  regretted  it  was  so 
small. 

It  originated  with  William  Crawford,  Esquire,  of  Mid- 
dletown,  New  Jersey.  The  tree  is  vigorous,  hardy,  thrifty 
and  productive.  It  is  not  an  enormous,  but  a  uniform, 
regular  bearer,  hardly  ever  missing  when  any  others  in  the 
same  orchard  bear.  The  limbs  usually  strike  out,  antler- 
like,  from  two,  three,  or  four  main  branches,  and  do  not 
spread,  fan-like,  as  in  most  of  the  red  and  white  varieties. 
Leaves  with  globose  glands.  Flowers  small.  Fruit  very 
large,  oblong,  terminal  point  prominent  5  suture  slight ; 


DESCRIPTIVE  CATALOGUE.  193 

skin  yellow,  with  a  beautiful  crimson  cheek ;  Flesh  yellow, 
juicy,  rich  and  melting.     Season,  10th  of  August.     F. 

REEVES'  FAVORITE. 

For  size  and  beauty,  there  is  but  one  peach  in  the 
whole  catalogue  that  can  excel  Reeves'  Favorite,  as  grown 
in  Delaware.  And  to  look  down  a  row  of  young  trees 
laden  with  their  precious  burden  of  exquisite  fruit,  just 
at  the  point  of  maturity,  is  certainly  a  privilege.  It  is 
one  of  Nature's  beautiful  pictures,  filling  the  mind  at 
once  with  admiration  and  gratitude,  delighting  the  eye 
by  its  liveliness,  and  cheering  the  heart  by  its  exuberance. 

It  was  first  brought  to  notice  by  Mr.  Samuel  Reeves,  of 
Salem,  New  Jersey. 

The  tree  is  very  vigorous,  stout,  and  handsome,  but 
only  moderately  productive — not  as  good  a  bearer  as  the 
Crawfords,  nor  as  shy  as  the  Susquehanna.  But  the  size, 
richness  and  beauty  of  the  fruit,  go  far  to  compensate 
for  the  smaller  quantity ;  and,  as  it  always  commands  the 
highest  price,  we  are  not  quite  sure  but  that  it  is  as  profit- 
able as  some  others  far  more  productive. 

Leaves  with  globose  glands.  Flowers  small.  Fruit 
very  large,  globose,  inclining  to  oval ;  terminal  point  dis- 
tinct ;  suture  well  defined ;  skin  yellow,  with  a  fine  red 
cheek.  Flesh  yellow,  red  at  the  stone,  rich,  juicy,  vinous 
and  melting.  Season,  15th  of  August.  F. 

YELLOW  RARERIPE* 

Large  Yellow  Rareripe,  Marie  Antoinette. 

By  some,  this  is  regarded  as  the  best  flavored  of  all  the 
yellow  peaches  ;  and  it  is  really  a  very  fine  variety  of  its 
class,  and  a  very  fine  peach.  It  is  of  native  origin,  and 
has  only  come  into  notice  within  the  last  thirty-five  years. 
The  tree  is  thrifty  and  hardy  in  our  soil,  and  produces 
fair  crops. 
13 


194  PEACH   CULTUKE. 

Leaves  with  globose  glands.  Flowers  small.  Fruit 
large,  globose ;  suture  shallow,  but  extends  fully  half 
round ;  skin  deep  orange,  dotted  somewhat  with  red,  and 
shaded  off  with  red  streaks.  Flesh  deep  yellow,  but  red 
at  the  stone,  juicy,  melting,  rich,  vinous.  Season,  20tK 
of  August. 

CRAWFORD'S  LATE. 

Crawford's  Late-  Melocoton,  Crawford's  Superb  Malacatune, 

Crawford's  Superb. 

This  is  of  the  same  origin  as  Crawford's  Early,  and 
partakes  strongly  of  all  the  distinguishing  characteristics 
of  that  excellent  peach.  It  is  even  more  popular,  if  pos- 
sible, than  its  earlier  sister.  In  size,  beauty,  and  flavor, 
it  has  scarcely  a  superior,  and  very  few  rivals.  As  a  first- 
rate  market  variety,  commanding  the  readiest  sale  and 
highest  prices,  it  stands  in  the  very  front  rank,  and,  like 
its  namesake,  its  fame  reaches  as  far  as  peach  culture  is 
known.  Were  we  restricted  to  a  single  yellow  peach, 
this  would  be  our  choice. 

Tree  vigorous,  stout,  thrifty,  with  antler-shaped  branch- 
es. Leaves  with  globose  glands.  Flowers  small.  Fruit 
very  large,  ovate  ;  suture  shallow,  but  distinct ;  skin  yel- 
low, with  a  fine,  deep  crimson  cheek.  Flesh  deep  yellow, 
red  at  the  stone,  juicy,  melting,  rich  and  excellent.  Sea- 
son, 25th  of  August.  F. 

SUSQUEHANNA. 
Griffith. 

In  size,  beauty,  and  excellence  of  flavor,  the  Susque- 
hanna  has  no  equal  among  yellow  peaches,  if  indeed, 
amongst  peaches  at  all. 

The  tree  grows  very  rapidly,  soon  becomes  large  and 
handsome,  while  its  dark  green,  and  abundant,  foliage 
makes  it  an  attractive  feature  in  an  orchard  of  a  hundred 
sorts.  The  fruit  is  exceedingly  large  j  almost  as  round  as 


DESCRIPTIVE  CATALOGUE.  195 

a  sphere ;  fine  skinned,  with  a  charming  delicate  blush 
on  the  cheek  next  tfie  sun,  and  surpassingly  rich,  vinous, 
sweet  and  delicious.  To  be  able  to  pluck  one  of  these 
exquisite  peaches,  when  fully  ripe,  and  eat  it  under  the 
tree,  on  a  hot  summer  day,  is  the  height  of  luxury — it  is 
luxury  itself — and  a  privilege  accorded  to  few  except 
those  whose  good  fortune  it  is  to  be  able  to  refresh  them- 
selves in  the  shade  of  their  own  trees,  and  regale  them- 
selves with  these  luscious  peaches  at  pleasure. 

But  it  is  a  very  shy  bearer,  and  can  never  become  popu- 
lar with  planters  whose  aim  is  profit.  It  has  been  tried,  and 
tried  again,  and  always  with  the  same  result.  It  will  not 
pay  to  cultivate  it  for  market ;  for,  although  commanding 
the  very  highest  price,  yet  the  crop  is  so  light,  that  plant- 
ers soon  become  gloomy  and  desponding.  It  seerns  to 
still  further  illustrate  the  axiom  that,  where  Nature  is 
exceedingly  munificent  in  the  quality  of  her  gifts,  she  is 
correspondingly  chary  in  the  quantity.  But  for  garden 
culture,  no  lover  of  perfection,  of  its  kind,  should  fail  to 
plant  a  Susquehanna. 

The  tree  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  originated 
with  Mr.  Griffith,  on  the  banks  of  the  Susquehanna,  near 
Harrisburg.  In  its  native  place  it  is  still  highly  prized. 

F. 
RED  CHEEK. 

Red  Cheek  Melocoton,  Yellow  Melocoton, 

Malagatune,  Yellow  Malagatune, 

Malacatune,  Red  Cheek  Melocoton, 
Hogg's  Melocoton. 

This  has  been,  and  in  some  quarters,  is  yet,  a  great  fa- 
vorite, and  formerly  was  a  very  popular  variety  in  the 
New  York  and  Philadelphia  markets,  but  of  late  years, 
it  has  nearly  disappeared.  The  reason  we  cannot  assign. 
Perhaps  it  would  be  difficult  for  any  one  to  do  so.  Year 
after  year  we  find  some  favorite  fruit — an  apple,  it  may 
be — fading  away  from  view,  but  no  one  can  tell  why.  If 


196  PEACH  CTJLTT7BE. 

we  enquire  whether  or  not  it  succeeds  well,  we  are  told 
it  does.  If  we  again  ask,  "  Is  it  not  good  ?"  we  are  an- 
swered, "  Yes,  excellent ;"  but  that  is  all  the  satisfaction  we 
receive.  Well,  it  is  perhaps  to  remind  us  that  all  things 
here  are  mutable,  and  passing  away ;  old  fruits,  as  well  as 
old  friends  and  old  families  ;  old  associations  and  fond  old 
memories  claim  a  passing  tear.  Let  us  not  grudge  it,  but 
proceed  with  our  task. 

It  is  an  American  seedling,  and  is  said  to  be  the  parent 
of  both  the  Crawfords.  If  this  be  so,  it  has  left  a  noble 
progeny ;  and  our  regret  for  the  decadence  of  the  parent 
will  be  much  modified  and  softened  in  contemplating  the 
robust  prosperity  and  unbounded  popularity  of  the 
children. 

Tree  thrifty,  and  vigorous.  Leaves  with  globose  glands. 
Flowers  small.  Fruit  large,  globose-oval ;  terminal  point 
distinct ;  skin  yellow,  with  red  cheek.  Flesh  deep  yellow, 
With  red  at  the  stone,  juicy,  melting  and  good. 

SMOCK. 
St.  George. 

This  peach  originated  with  Mr.  Smock,  of  Middletown, 
New  Jersey,  whose  name  it  bears.  We  have  put  it  on 
our  largest  planting  list,  not  because  we  value  it,  or  would 
recommend  it,  but  because  some  of  our  neighbors  and 
friends  continue  to  plant  it  for  market,  and  would  consider 
any  extended  list  incomplete  without  it.  It  undoubtedly 
has  two  or  three  good  market  qualities.  It  is  a  hardy, 
vigorous  tree,  succeeding  well  in  almost  any  soil ;  it  bears 
regularly,  and  its  crops  are  enormous.  In  this  last  respect 
it  is  unsurpassed.  So  great  are  its  loads,  that  it  often 
breaks  down  under  them  long  before  the  fruit  attains  its 
size.  The  fruit  is  of  medium  size,  or  above  it,  very  firm, 
and  bears  carriage  well ;  it  comes  in  very  late,  usually 
closing  the  season.  For  a  long  time,  and  until  the  intro- 
duction of  Hale's  Early,  it  bore  the  inverse  relation  to 


DESCRIPTIVE  CATALOGUE.  197 

late  peaches  that  Troth's  Early  did  to  early  ones.  Troth 
led  the  column,  while  Smock  brought  up  the  rear.  Its 
fate  is  likely  to  be  the  same,  for  the  quality  of  both  is 
very  poor  ;  and  as  soon  as  a  better  peach  of  the  same 
season  can  be  found,  and  we  think  this  will  not  be  long, 
Smock  will  be  put  upon  the  retired  list.  Its  capital 
faults  are  dull  color  and  poor  flavor.  It  is  profitable  for 
evaporating  as  the  yield  of  pounds  of  dried  fruit  per 
basket  is  quite  large. 

Leaves  with  reniform  glands.  Fruit  medium,  or  large; 
color  dull  white.  Flesh  bright  yellow,  slightly  red  at 
the  stone,  moderately  juicy,  strong,  but  of  poor  flavor. 

This  closes  our  planting  list  of  well  tried  and  approved 
freestone  peaches.  It  might  be  greatly  extended,  but  if 
our  readers  have  attended  to  what  we  have  already  said 
on  the  folly  of  planting  too  many  varieties,  they  will,  we 
think,  agree  with  us  that  it  is  quite  long  enough.  We 
only  wish  now  to  remark  further  that,  where  we  have 
spoken  of  our  own  knowlege,  in  regard  to  the  foregoing 
varieties,  we  have  added  our  initial,  F.  The  want  of  this 
will  indicate  that  what  we  say  is  derived  from  informa- 
tion, but  of  such  a  character  as  to  inspire  full  confidence. 

We  shall  now  proceed  to  describe  two  white  and  two 
yellow  Clingstones,  closing  the  chapter  with  brief  notices 
of  a  few  new  varieties  that  promise  well,  but  have  not  yet 
( been  tested.  F. 

HEATH  CLING. 

Heath,  Fine  Heath, 

Heath  Clingstone,  Bed  Heath. 

Of  this  noble  old  clingstone  peach  we  may,  without 
exaggeration,  and  with  a,  slight  variation,  employ  the 
poet's  language,  and  say — 

*'  None  knows  it  but  to  love  it, 
None  names  it  but  to  praise. 

It  is  a  seedling,  produced  from  a  seed  brought  from  the 
Mediterranean  by  Mr.  Daniel  Heath,  of  Maryland.  It 


198  PEACH  CULTURE. 

does  not  yary  when  propagated  from  the  seed.  It  is  al- 
most universally  assigned  the  highest  place  in  all  descrip- 
tions of  clingstones.  It  is  large,  beautiful,  and  delicious. 
It  bears  abundantly  and  constantly.  It  is  long-lived, 
and  grows  almost  without  care.  The  ladies  love  it  for 
its  delicate  white  skin,  exquisite  flavor,  and  unequaled 
preserving  properties.  They  speak  of  it  with  enthusiasm. 
Tree  thrifty,  healthy  and  vigorous.  Leaves  very 
slightly  serrate,  with  reniform  glands.  Flowers  small. 
Fruit  large,  or  very  large,  oblong,  oval ;  terminal  point 
large  and  distinct ;  suture  distinct  on  one  side ;  skin 
downy,  pale  white,  mottled  with  very  small  light  brown 
dots  on  the  cheek  exposed  to  the  sun.  Flesh  very  clear, 
and  white  to  the  stone,  tender,  melting,  juicy,  rich,  vi- 
nous, aromatic,  delicious,  adheres  firmly  to  the  stone. 
Season,  October  1st,  but  will  keep  several  weeks  after 
being  gathered.  It  is  often  preserved  whole,  in  order  to 
retain  the  exquisite  flavor  of  the  stone.  !F. 

OLD  MIXON  CLING. 

Old  Mixon  Clingstone. 

T^iis  is  the  parent  of  the  Old  Mixon  Free,  and  worthy 
to  be  the  mother  of  such  a  daughter.  It  is  a  noble  rival 
of  the  Heath,  and  some  will  find  it  hard  to  make  a  choice 
between  them.  The  leaves  have  globose  glands.  Flowers 
small.  Fruit  large,  globose-oval ;  suture  only  defined 
towards  the  apex  ;  skin  pale  white,  dotted  with  red, 
sometimes  blushing.  Flesh  clear  white,  very  melting, 
juicy,  rich,  luscious,  high  flavor.  Season,  1st  of  Sep- 
tember. 

LEMON  CLING. 

Lemon  Clingstone,  Kennedy's  Lemon  Clingstone, 

Largest  Lemon,  Long  Yellow  I'ineapple, 

Pineapple  Clingstone,  Yellow  Pineapple. 


DESCBIPTIVE  CATALOGUE.  193 

This  favorite  and  admirable  peach  is  at  the  head  of  all 
the  yellow  clings.  It  is  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  and 
was  introduced  North  by  Mr.  Kennedy,  of  New  York, 
before  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  tree  is  hardy,  and 
very  productive.  Leaves  long,  with  reniform  glands. 
Flowers  small.  Fruit  large,  oblong,  inclining  to  a  py- 
ramidal form  at  the  top ;  terminal  point  large  and  pro- 
jecting ;  skin  fine  yellow,  with  brown  cheek  in  the  sun. 
Flesh  firm,  yellow,  slightly  red  at  the  stone,  adhering 
firmly,  with  a  rich,  sprightly,  subacid  flavor.  Season, 
middle  of  September. 

TIPPECANOE. 

Hero  of  Tippecanoe. 

This  is  a  very  large  and  beautiful  yellow  cling,  origi- 
nating with  Mr.  George  Thomas,  of  Philadelphia,  and 
first  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  Pennsylvania  Horticul- 
tural Society  in  1840.  Leaves  with  reniform  glands ; 
the  shoots  dark  purple,  or  red.  Flowers  small.  Fruit 
large,  almost  spherical,  slightly  compressed  ;  skin  yellow, 
with  a  beautiful  red  cheek.  Flesh  yellow,  juicy,  and 
vinous.  Season,  September  20th. 

WILKINS'  CLING. 

This  is  identical  with  the  Heath  Cling  in  everything 
but  size  and  color,  and  all  that  has  been  said  in  praise  of 
the  latter  can  be  said  of  the  Wilkins,  and  even  a  little 
emphasized.  But  it  is  considerably  larger  than  the 
Heath,  and  the  color  is  more  clear  and  creamy,  giving 
the  peach  when  ripe  a  more  waxy  appearance.  It  is  said 
to  be  a  seedling  of  the  Heath,  of  which  there  can  be  no 
doubt,  which  it  so  closely  resembles.  Originated  with 
Col-  Wilkins  of  Maryland,  whose  name  it  bears. 


200  PEACH  CULTURE. 

CHAPTER     XXXI. 

FANCY  VARIETIES. 
VAN  BUREN'S  GOLDEN  DWARF. 


Of  all  fancy  varieties,  Van  Burerts  Golden  Dwarf  is 
the  most  beautiful  as  well  as  the  most  valuable.  We  have 
never  seen  it  cultivated,  except  in  pots ;  but  in  this  form, 
when  laden  with  bright,  rich  and  luscious  fruit,  it  is  really 
exquisite.  It  combines  beauty  and  utility  in  an  extraor- 
dinary degree,  and  alike  delights  both  the  palate  and 
the  eye.  The  leaves  are  long,  deep-green,  and  so  closely 
set  as  almost  to  conceal  the  branches ;  and  they  are  very 
seldom  shed  until  autumn  frosts.  Were  the  tree  entire- 
ly destitute  of  fruit,  its  graceful  form  and  elegant  foliage 
would  give  it  a  place  amongst  ornamental  shrubs  of  the 
first  class.  But  when  we  add  to  this,  its  rich  clusters  of 
full-sized,  gold  and  carmine  peaches,  coyly  showing  their 
rosy  cheeks,  from  under  their  green  sheen,  redolent  with 
nourishment,  health  and  joy,  it  becomes  a  pure  delight — 
,an  admiration.  We  have  seen  it  at  the  state  fairs,  and  in 
the  show  windows  on  Chestnut  street,  Philadelphia, 
where  it  always  attracted  attention,  and  elicited  praise. 
We  have  looked  at  it  again  and  again,  but  never  grew 
tired.  In  horticulture  it  is  a  gem. 

A  cultivator  says,  "  It  seldom  attains  a  growth  of  more 
than  three  feet  in  height,  the  original  being  only  twenty- 
eight  inches  when  four  years  old.  The  buds  are  so  close- 


FAtfCY  VARIETIES.  201 

ly  set,  that  one  of  these  little  trees,  loaded  with  fruit, 
reminds  the  beholder  of  an  immense  bunch  of  mammoth 
grapes."  The  same  writer  says,  "  It  is  prodigiously  pro- 
lific, and  in  quality  of  fruit  has  few  if  any  superior. " 
Van  Burerfs  Golden  is  a  seedling  from  the  common 
peach  which  came  up  in  a  bed  of  seedlings  raised  by  Mr. 
J.  Van  Bur  en,  of  Clarksville,  Georgia. 

THE  BLOOD  CLINGSTONE. 

This  is  a  very  peculiar  fruit,  of  large  size,  but  very 
inferior  quality.  Some  admire  it  because  it  is  odd  ;  and 
it  is  sometimes  used  for  pickles  and  preserves.  We  do 
not  admire  it  or  regard  it  as  either  useful  or  ornamental. 
Odd  it  certainly  is.  When  viewed  on  the  tree,  it  some' 
what  resembles,  in  its  dark-red  color,  the  prematures  of 
such  varieties  as  the  Smock  or  Crawford.  It  is  appro- 
priately named,  for  the  flesh,  when  ripe,  resembles  more  the 
bloody  flesh  of  a  slaughtered  animal,  than  anything  else  we 
have  ever  seen. 

It  ib  said  to  be  an  American  seedling  of  the  French 
Sanguinole  d  Chair  Adherente. 

DOUBLE  BLOSSOMED. 

This  is  a  beautiful  tree.  It  blooms  with  the  Double 
Flowering  Cherry,  and  is  a  most  suitable  companion  of 
the  latter.  The  flowers  are  of  a  beautiful  rose-color,  several 
times  as  large  as  those  of  the  common  peach.  They 
are  thickly  set  and  very  showy.  The  fruit  is  of  the 
Clingstone  variety. 

It  may  be  dwarfed  by  budding  on  the  Mirabelle 
Plum  stock. 

The  fruit  is  of  indifferent  quality,  sparsely  set,  and  of  a 
greenish-yellow  color,  with  a  red  tinge  where  exposed  to 
the  sun. 


202  PEACH  CULTURE. 

PEEN  To. 

This  is  a  Chinese  variety,  and  quite  singular.  It  is  a 
flat  peach,  about  two  inches  in  diameter.  The  flesh  is 
produced  on  the  sides  only,  the  ends  being  flattened  down 
to  the  stone.  The  tree  is  small,  but  has  a  fine  foliage, 
which  holds  till  late  in  the  fall.  It  is  a  freestone.  The  fruit 
is  of  good  flavor.  The  flesh  except  a  small  circle  around 
the  stone  is  yellow,  sweet,  juicy  and  spicy.  It  ripens 
from  the  middle  of  August  to  the  10th  of  September. 

CHINESE  CROOKED  PEACH. 

We  name  it  thus  for  want  of  a  better,  and  as  indicative 
of  its  shape,  which  is  long  and  crooked.  The  seed  was 
brought  from  China,  some  eight  or  ten  years  ago,  by  a 
gentleman  of  Philadelphia,  who  owns  several  plantations 
on  the  Peninsula.  He  gave  it  to  some  professional  nur- 
serymen of  that  city  for  propagation.  They  succeeded  in 
rearing  some  trees,  which  the  gentleman  had  planted  on 
his  own  lands.  In  1869,  the  trees  bore  a  crop;  of  this 
the  gentleman  says:  "The  trees  are  eight  or  nine  years 
old,  and  this  summer  bore  freely.  The  peaches  are  re- 
markable for  their  great  sweetness.  After  falling  upon 
the  ground,  they  remained  several  weeks  undecayed ;  but 
they  were  too  small,  and  too  odd  in  their  appearance  to 
be  marketable,  and  must  be  mainly  regarded  as  a  curi- 
osity. They  do  well  under  glass,  and,  kept  as  dwarf  trees, 
are  very  ornamental." 

REID'S  WEEPING  PEACH. 

This  was  originated  by  Mr.  William  Reid  of  Murray  Hill 
nurseries,  Elizabeth,  N.  J.  It  is  a  very  peculiar  variety 
with  weeping  branches,  and  a  habit  much  like  that  of  the 
weeping  ash.  It  shows  to  great  advantage  when  budded 
on  a  peach  or  plum  stock  about  six  feet  from  the  ground. 
In  doing  this,  a  straight  clear  stock  should  be  selected. 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Amygdalus  Cochinchinensis 12 

"          communis 11 

"  "       var.  laevis. .  .   11 

"          nuna 12 

"          orientalis 12 

Persica 11 

Baskets  and  Crates 87 

Beecher 88 

"       Paper 88 

"       Number  needed 89 

Size  of 87 

Stave 87 

Bass  Matting 50 

Blossoms,  Size  of 166 

Boats 107 

Buds 44-50 

"    Cultivation  of 56 

"    Expressed 48 

"    Leaf  and  Fruit 46 

"    Rubbing  off 59 

Budders 49 

Budding 48 

Budding  described 51 

Budding-knife 61 

California,  Peaches  in 26 

Catalogue  of  Varieties 179 

Clingstones 167-197 

Coming  in 85 

Consignees 95 

Coulter's,  Thomas,  Method  of  Cul- 
ture   25 

Crates 90 

Cullers 112 

Culture  after  a  Crop 120 

Cutting  back  tha  Stocks 58 

Cutting  the  Ties 66 

Delaware  Fruit  Exchange 100 

Delaware  Peninsula,  Peaches  in ...   16 

Descriptive  Catalogue 179 

Empties 115 

Espalier 146 

Facing 113 

Freestones 167 

Glands 166 

Guano  in  the  Nursery 44 

Heeling-in 67 

Illinois,  Peaches  in 21 

Insects  and  Diseases 128 

"     ^Egeria  exitiosa 128 

"      The  Borer 128 

"      Curculio 133 

"     Rhynchoenus  Nenuphar 133 

Indiana,  Peaches  in 21 

Introduction 9 

Kansas,  Peaches  in 22 

Kentucky,  Peaches  in 21 

Ladders 105 

Logan's,  Thomas,  Orchard 69 

Manure  in  the  Nursery 60 

Markers 38 

Markets 117 

Marking 64 

Michigan,  Peaches  in 20 

Missouri,  Peaches  in 22 

Natural  Fruit 32 

Nectarine 12 

New  England,  Peaches  in 24 

New  Jersey.  Peaches  in 18 

Nursery  Cultivation 42 

"        Cutting  Back  in  the ft8 

"       Preparation  of  Ground  for  37 
«        Pruning  in  the..... jj^  61 


Nursery 


fflSS.f. 


the  ..........   60 

29 
Rows,  Direction  of  ......   63 

Marking  of  .......   54 

Nursery  Trees,  Heeling-in  ........   67 

Packing  ..........  65 

"       Rubbing  off  Leaves  63 
"  "       Taking  up  ........   62 

Ohio.Peaches  in  ................   19 

Orchard,  Broken  Limbs  in  .......  121 

"         Cropping  an  ............   79 

"         Cultivation  of  ..........   78 

"         Cutting-in  .............   82 

"         Fertilizers  for  ..........  123 

"         First  Trimming  of  ......   78 

Height  of  Head  in  ......    81 

Hogs  in  the  ............  120 

"         Near  Water  ............   70 

"         Planting  an  ............   72 

Plowing  in  the  .........   83 

"         Second  Trimming  of  ....   80 

Selecting  a  Site  for  .....   68 

Shape  of  ..............   71 

Soil  for  ...............   70 

"         Time  to  Plant  an  .......   77 

Orders,  how  filled  ...............   63 

Packing   Trees  .................   65 

Peach,  Botanical  History  of  the  ...   11 
Peach  Brandy  ..................  125 

"      in  China  .................   15 

"      in  England  ...............    16 

"      Culture  in  France  .........   16 

"       in  the  United  States  16 
Peach-growing  Regions  ..........    16 

Peach-House  ...................  154 

"      Uses  of  the  ..............  124 

"     Wagon  ..................  113 

"      Tree,  Duration  of  .........   13 

"         "      Native  Country  of  .  .  .   14 
Peaches,  Color  of  ...............  167 

in  Pots  ................  160 

Peninsula  Fruit  Growers'  Associa- 

tion ......................    99 

Picking  ........................  108 

"       Number  of  hands  required 
for  .......................  110 

Pot  Culture  ....................  160 

Prematures  ....................  109 

Preparation  of  Ground  for  Nursery  37 
Profit  .........................  118 

Pruning  at  Planting  .............   76 

Quilling  .........  .  .............   63 

Returns  ...............  ;  .......  114 

Ripeness,  how  told  ..............  Ill 

Seed  ..........................  31 

Seed-bed  ......................   36 

Seed,  Characters  of  good  ........   33 

Planting  .................   40 

Shippers  ......................   106 

Slipping  the  Bud  ..............     63 

Stakes  for  Marking  .............     64 

Stripper  ......................     51 

Special  Culture  ................   146 

Taking  up  and  sending  to  Market  . 
Tyer  .  .  . 


51 
50 
Training,  Espalier ..............  146 

Fan  Shape 152 

Transportation 92 

Tree-digging  Plow 64 

Twigs 47 

Tying 62 


204 


IHDEX. 


Uses  of  the  Peach 124 

Varieties 161 

Classification  of 166 

"        Form  of  Treesin 167 

for  New  York  Market ...  163 
"        Popularity  of  Different . .  169 

New 162 

Virginia,  Peaches  in 18-23 


Wagons Ill 

White  Peaches 167-183 

Yellow  Peaches 167-192 

Yellows 139 

"      Cause  of 133-140 

"     Remedies  for 143 

"      Symptoms  of 142 


INDEX   TO   VARIETIES.       (Synonyms  in  Italics.) 


Alexander 173 

Amelia 174 

Belle  Bausse 184 

Belle  Beaute 184 

Bilgen's  October 177 

Blood  Clingstone 201 

Brown's  Best 177 

Bonanza 176 

Brandywine 175 

Chinese  Crooked 202 

Flat 202 

Christian 177 

Cole's  White  Melocoton 190 

Cora  Wright 175 

Crawford's  Early 192 

Crawford's  Early  Melocoton 192 

Crawford's  Late 194 

Crawford's  Late  Melocoton 194 

"  Superb 194 

"  Melacatune 194 

Double  Blossomed 2O1 

Druid  Hill 191 

Early  Beauty 173 

Early  Crawford 192 

Early  Louise 173 

Early  May 184 

"  Purple 184 

Avant 184 

"  Rareripe 185-188 

Early  Rivers 173 

Early  Vineyard 184 

Early  York 184 

Elbrata 174 

Excelsior 176 

Fine  Heath 197 

Fester 174 

Freestone  Heath 190 

Globe 178 

Greenwood's  Royal  George 184 

Griffith 194 

Grosse  Mignonne 184 

Haines'  Early 174 

Haines'  Early  Red 185 

Heath 197 

Heath  Cling 197 

Heath  Clingstone 197 

Henrietta 176 

Hero  of  Tippecanoe 199 

Hogg's  Melocoton 195 

Hold  On 176 

Honest  John 185 

Honesty 174 

Johnson's  Early  Purple 184 

Kennedy's  Lemon  Chngstone 198 

Lady  Ann  Steward 190 

Lady  Ingold 174 

Large  Early  York 185 

Large  French  Mignonne 184 

"  Red  Rareripe 188 

Largest  Lemon 198 

Large  Yellow  Rareripe 193 

La  Royal 184 

Lemon  Cling 198 

Lemon  Clingstone 198 

Livingston*.  Rareripe 185 

Long  Yellow  Pineapple 198 

Lord  Montague 189 


Lord  Palmerston 175 

Luscious  White  Rareripe 190 

Malacatune 195 

Malagatune 195 

Marie  Antoinette 193 

Melllsh 189 

Mignonne 184 

Moore's  Favorite 186 

Morris'  White 190 

Morris'  White  Freestone 190 

Morns'    White  Rareripe 190 

Mountain  Rose 174 

Neil's  £•«'  ly  Purple 184 

New  Royal  George 184 

New  York  Rareripe 185 

Noblesse 189 

Old  Mi  yon  Cl»arstone 187 

Old  Mixon  Cling 198 

Old  Mixon  Clingstone 187-198 

Old  Mixon  Free 187 

Peen  To 202 

Pineapple  Clingstone 198 

Piquet's  Late 177 

Pullen 177 

Purple  Avant 184 

Queen  of  Delaware 178 

Red  Cheek 195 

Red  Cheek  Melocoton 195 

Red  Heath 197 

Red  Rareripe 188 

Reeves'  Favorite 193 

Reid's  Weeping 202 

Ronald's  Seedling  Galande 184 

St.  George 196 

St.  John 173 

Serrate  Early  York 184 

Silver  Medal 175 

Shipley's  Late  Red 176 

Smock 196 

Southwick 175 

Steadly 176 

Stump  the  World 189 

Superb  Royal 184 

Susquehanna 194 

Swiss  Mignonne 184 

Tippecanoe 199 

Troth's  Early 183 

Van  Buren's  Golden  Dwarf 20O 

Vanguard 189 

Veloutee  de  Merlet 184 

Vineuse 184 

Vineuse  de  Fromentin 184 

Walter's  Early 185 

Ward's  Late 191 

White  Melocoton 190 

Yellow  Melocoton 195 

Yellow  Rareripe 193 

Yellow  Pineapple 198 

Yellow  Malaqatune 196 

Yellow  Cobbler 177 

Wager 175 

Walker's  Variegated  Free 177 

Waterloo 173 

Washington 176 

Wheatlaml 175 

Wilkins'  Cling 199 


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ping station,  and  the  manufacture  of  butter  on  the  farm. 
It  is  written  in  a  simple,  popular  way,  being  free  from  tech- 
nical terms,  and  is  easily  understood  by  the  average  farm 
boy.  The  book  is  just  the  thing  for  the  every-day  dairy- 
man, and  should  be  in  the  hands  of  every  farmer  in  the 
country.  Illustrated.  5x7  inches.  100  pages.  Cloth.  Net,  $0.50. 

A  Dairy  Laboratory  Guide 

By  H.  E.  Ross.     While  the  book  is  intended  primarily 
for  use   in  the   laboratory,   it   should  be   of  value   to   the 
practical   dairyman.     The   time   has   come   when   the   suc- 
cessful dairyman  must  study  his  business  from  a  purely 
scientific   point   of   view,   and   in   this   book   the    scientific 
principles,  upon  which  dairy  industry  is  based,  are  stated 
clearly  and  simply,  and  wherever  it  is  possible,  these  prin- 
ciples are  illustrated  by  practical  problems  and  examples. 
90  pages.     5x7  inches.     Cloth.    .    .    .    .    .    .    Net,  $0.50 

(2) 


Profitable  Stock  Raising 

By  CLARENCE  A.  SHAMEL.  This  book  covers  fully  the 
principles  of  breeding  and  feeding  for  both  fat  stock  and 
dairying  type.  It  tells  of  sheep  and  mutton  raising,  hot 
house  lambs,  the  swine  industry  and  the  horse  market. 
Finally,  he  tells  of  the  preparation  of  stock  for  the  market 
and  how  to  prepare  it  so  that  it  will  bring  a  high  market 
price.  Live  stock  is  the  most  important  feature  of  farm 
life,  and  statistics  show  a  production  far  short  of  the 
actual  requirements.  There  are  many  problems  to  be 
faced  in  the  profitable  production  of  stock,  and  these  are 
fully  and  comprehensively  covered  in  Mr.  Shamel's  new 
book.  Illustrated.  5x7  inches.  288  pages.  Cloth. 

Net,  $1.50 

The  Business  of  Dairying 

By  C.  B.  LANE.  The  author  of  this  practical  little  book 
is  to  be  congratulated  on  the  successful  manner  in  which 
he  has  treated  so  important  a  subject.  It  has  been  pre- 
pared for  the  use  of  dairy  students,  producers  and  handlers 
of  milk,  and  all  who  make  dairying  a  business.  Its  pur- 
pose is  to  present  in  a  clear  and  concise  manner  various 
business  methods  and  systems  which  will  help  the  dairy- 
man to  reap  greater  profits.  This  book  meets  the  needs 
of  the  average  dairy  farmer,  and  if  carefully  followed  will 
lead  to  successful  dairying.  It  may  also  be  used  as  an 
elementary  textbook  for  colleges,  and  especially  in  short- 
course  classes.  Illustrated.  5x7  inches.  300  pages.  Cloth. 

Net,  $1.25 

Questions  and  Answers  on  Buttermaking 

By  CHAS  A.  PUBLOW.  This  book  is  entirely  different 
from  the  usual  type  of  dairy  books,  and  is  undoubtedly  in 
a  class  by  itself.  The  entire  subject  of  butter-making  in 
all  its  branches  has  been  most  thoroughly  treated,  and 
many  new  and  important  features  have  been  added.  The 
tests  for  moisture,  salt  and  acid  have  received  special 
attention,  as  have  also  the  questions  on  cream  separa- 
tion, pasteurization,  commercial  starters,  cream  ripening, 
cream  overrun,  marketing  of  butter,  and  creamery  man- 
agement. Illustrated.  5x7  inches.  100  pages.  Cloth. 

Net,  $0.50 

Questions  and  Answers  on  Milk  and  Milk  Testing 

By  CHAS.  A.  PUBLOW,  and  HUGH  C.  TROY.  A  book  that 
no  student  in  the  dairy  industry  can  afford  to  be  without. 
No  other  treatise  of  its  kind  is  available,  and  no  book  of 
its  size  gives  so  much  practical  and  useful  information  in 
the  study  of  milk  and  milk  products.  Illustrated.  5x7 
inches.  100  pages.  Cloth .  Net,  $0.50 

(3) 


Soils 

By  CHARLES  WILLIAM  BURKETT,  Director  Kansas  Agri- 
cultural Experiment  Station.  The  most  complete  and 
popular  work  of  the  kind  ever  published.  As  a  rule,  a 
book  of  this  sort  is  dry  and  uninteresting,  but  in  this  case 
it  reads  like  a  novel.  The  author  has  put  into  it  his  in- 
dividuality. The  story  of  the  properties  of  the  soils,  their 
improvement  and  management,  as  well  as  a  discussion  of 
the  problems  of  crop  growing  and  crop  feeding,  make  this 
book  equally  valuable  to  the  farmer,  student  and  teacher. 
Illustrated.  303  pages.  5^x8  inches.  Cloth.  .  Net,  $1.25 

Weeds  of  the  Farm  Garden 

By  L.  H.  PAMMEL.  The  enormous  losses,  amounting 
to  several  hundred  million  dollars  annually  in  the  United 
States,  caused  by  weeds  stimulate  us  to  adopt  a  better 
system  of  agriculture.  The  weed  question  is,  therefore 
a  most  important  and  vital  one  for  American  farmers 
This  treatise  will  enable  the  farmer  to  treat  his  field  to 
remove  weeds.  The  book  is  profusely  illustrated  by  photo- 
graphs and  drawings  made  expressly  for  this  work,  and 
will  prove  invaluable  to  every  farmer,  land  owner,  gar- 
dener and  park  superintendent.  5x7  inches.  300  pages. 
Cloth Net,  $1.50 

Farm  Machinery  and  Farm  Motors 

By  J.  B.  DAVIDSON  and  L.  W.  CHASE.  Farm  Machinery 
and  Farm  Motors  is  the  first  American  book  published 
on  the  subject  of  Farm  Machinery  since  that  written  by 
J.  J.  Thomas  in  1867.  This  was  before  the  development 
of  many  of  the  more  important  farm  machines,  and  the 
general  application  of  power  to  the  work  of  the  farm. 
Modern  farm  machinery  is  indispensable  in  present-day 
farming  operations,  and  a  practical  book  like  Farm  Ma- 
chinery and  Farm  Motors  will  fill  a  much-felt  need.  The 
book  has  been  written  from  lectures  used  by  the  authors 
before  their  classes  for  several  years,  and  which  were  pre- 
pared from  practical  experience  and  a  thorough  review  of 
the  literature  pertaining  to  the  subject.  Although  written 
primarily  as  a  text-book,  it  is  equally  useful  for  the  prac- 
tical farmer.  Profusely  illustrated.  5^2x8  inches.  520 
pages,  Cloth Net,  $2.00 

The  Book  of  Wheat 

By  P.  T.  DONDLINGER.  This  book  comprises  a  complete 
study  of  everything  pertaining  to  wheat.  It  is  the  work 
of  a  student  of  economic  as  well  as  agricultural  condi- 
tions, well  fitted  by  the  broad  experience  in  both  practical 
and  theoretical  lines  to  tell  the  whole  story  in  a  condensed 
form.  It  is  designed  for  the  farmer,  the  teacher,  and  the 
student  as  well.  Illustrated.  5^x8  inches.  370  pages. 
Cloth ,  ,  ,  .  Net,  $2.00 

(4) 


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